Both Ends of The Night
by RowArk
Summary: AU: In the Enchanted Forest, Regina decides against casting the dark curse, and opts to get her revenge on Snow White a different way: by making a deal with her, allowing her to corrupt her innocent teenage daughter, the beautiful young Princess Emma. Rating M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Both Ends of the Night**

By RowArk

* * *

 **Chapter One**

* * *

Regina paced fervently, unsure of what to do next. She had all the ingredients – including the heart of the thing she loved most – and yet… Rumplestiltskin's prophecy played over and over in her mind. There was a Savior that could break her curse; the fucking _child_ of Snow White and Prince Charming. Of course her undoing would come at the hands of Snow White's spawn.

There can't be a Savior without a curse _,_ she reasoned with herself. Surely, there would be another way to get her revenge. Snow White's daughter would just end up another insipid, spoiled little princess, and Regina would find her revenge some other way.

She grinned wickedly to herself. How stupid was that little imp? Had he said nothing, Regina would have happily cast the curse, completely oblivious to this Savior nonsense.

Of course, she knew she couldn't _physically_ harm Snow White and Prince Charming in this land, but that didn't mean she couldn't take away their happiness _still._ After all, what better victory could be had than an eye for an eye? A child for a murdered lover? And Rumple happily rotting away in his cell for all eternity, unable to protect the little bundle of joy.

And so, she hid the curse and the ingredients away for safe-keeping - not that she really planned on casting it in the future, either. Let the Charmings get attached to their little brat, and when the time was right, rip her away. Kill her. Let Snow feel what _that_ feels like. Sure, the bitch had lost a father, but so had Regina, and she knew that wasn't enough suffering; not even close.

Once the child was dead, Regina was sure she wouldn't want to cast the curse anyway. Why would she want to remove Snow's suffering by giving her false memories? What could possibly be worse than remembering the brutal death of her first born? She regretted that her father had had to die in vain, but then, there were always sacrifices to be made, and even he knew that.

So now, all Regina had to do was wait. She was no longer the Queen, in the eyes of the peasants, but she was still a powerful sorceress, and no one was going to dare attempt to remove her from the Dark Palace. She was safe here, with her heartless dark knights and her heartless huntsman by her side.

As the days and weeks and months passed, chatter of the curse amongst the fairies and the woodland creatures died down, until it stopped completely. The Kingdom believed that Regina had been unable to pull it off, and she was quite content to let them continue thinking that way. It made no difference to her.

She spent her days watching through the mirror. She watched as Snow White birthed the wretched little creature. She watched her face – elated – as she held her vile cherub in her arms, the magical wardrobe left untouched in the corner of the room. It lay in wait of the announcement that the curse was coming, but the curse never came, and each day that passed, Snow White seemed more and more confident that it would never come.

And that was alright.

The Kingdom fawned over its newest princess. Emma. That's what they'd called her. What a despicably _common_ name, unfit for a princess. Regina supposed that was appropriate, since it was highly unlikely that _Princess_ Emma would even make it to her own coronation. Regina didn't intend on letting her live that long.

Months turned into years, and Regina continued to watch. She studied Emma, getting to know her prey _thoroughly_. She had made mistakes with Snow, and she didn't intend to do the same this time. She wasn't afraid anymore. She wasn't weak. And the people knew.

She hadn't left the palace grounds in nearly three years, and yet, the people still feared her. Snow White and her Prince Charming had large walls enacted around the White Kingdom, after they had tried in vain to convince Rumplestiltskin to create a potion to protect their daughter from the former Queen, just as they were protected. As far as Regina knew, the imp had gone stark raving mad – more so than he had been, previously – when she didn't cast the curse. Magic or not, he was no use to anyone now, and she liked him best that way.

So the walls were enacted, and Emma was forbidden to pass them, under any circumstances. The palace grounds were heavily guarded, but that didn't stop Regina from keeping her own knights out in the land, in constant surveillance, just out of sight of Snow White's lookouts. They were to report to her with any change, any weakness, any way to get into the palace and steal the princess away.

Years had passed, and they weren't any closer, but Regina had learned patience in her time of waiting. The longer it took, the more attached Snow White would become to her little treasure, and the more it would hurt when Regina finally tore her away.

Regina watched as little Emma learned to walk and learned to talk. She watched at night when the tiny monstrosity would suckle at her mother's teat, for far too long, in Regina's opinion. Snow was coddling the girl, and if Regina had still been her mother, she would slap the Snow silly, and slap the little brat too, for good measure.

Little Emma learned etiquette and had tutors and excelled in her lessons – smart as a whip, that one was, and Regina wondered where on earth she got that from, since it certainly didn't come from anyone she had met in Emma's bloodline. Regina noted, however, that Emma never learned to ride. She found that odd, given Snow's propensity toward riding. She would have thought she'd have the girl up on a horse the moment she could walk, but by the time Emma was ten, Regina had yet to see her _near_ a horse.

Emma turned ten around the same time that Regina began projecting herself into the mirror in the child's bedroom while she slept. At first, they were brief appearances, and as time went on and she was sure that Emma believed she was dreaming each time she woke up and saw her face, Regina began to speak to her. It was sweet nothings at first, telling Emma she was sweet and beautiful and to go back to sleep, my darling. Later it was suggestions, promising Emma that freedom lurked beyond the palace walls, insisting that her parents had no right to keep her prisoner in the palace, urging her to break free and run to her waiting Queen.

By the time Emma was eleven, she had regressed back to sleeping in her parents' bed in an attempt to ward off what Snow thought were chronic nightmares that the Evil Queen was coming to steal her away.

 _Where do you see her?_ Snow had asked.

 _In my mirror, Mama._

The child had dove right into her mother's waiting arms at that point, and didn't see the colour drain from Snow's face. But Regina had. And Regina wasn't concerned. Instead, she was glad that Snow knew she was still lurking. She _wanted_ Snow to know she had Emma in her sights. She wanted her to fret, day in and day out, wondering when and how Regina would make her move.

Eleven years, and that one look from Snow had made it all worth it.

Eleven years had passed, and Regina still looked as she did the day she threatened the curse at Snow White's wedding. Her magic preserved her eternally in her youth and beauty, as Snow continued to age. It pained Regina to admit that though Snow had aged, her beauty had not faded, but one day it wither away. The pain of the loss of her child would surely do that to her.

Regina waited until the night before Emma's twelfth birthday to appear in her mirror again. Emma had only returned to sleeping in her own bed chambers at night a few weeks before, but she still wasn't sleeping well. She was awake when Regina appeared.

The child sat up in her bed straight away, and Regina prepared to disappear the moment the shrill scream left her mouth, but the scream never came. Emma just sat and stared, her green eyes wide in fright, but her voice silent.

"Hello, my darling," Regina cooed through the mirror, as sweetly as her voice would allow her. Her hair was down and soft around her shoulders, and she was in a less than threatening silver-grey dressing gown. She thought she looked practically _civil_.

Emma didn't speak, but got up and walked to the mirror, regarding Regina with a new-found wonder, rather than fear. "You're not real," Emma said, simply. "You're just a dream."

"Are you sleeping, my darling?" Regina asked, her mouth curling up in a challenging smirk.

"I must be, or else you wouldn't be here," Emma reasoned, as she sat down on the bench in front of her vanity, her head cocked to the side, her eyes never breaking contact with Regina's.

"Ah, yes, very logical. You're a smart girl." Regina nodded in approval.

Emma actually beamed at the compliment. Regina hadn't expected that. The girl was so close that Regina could just reach through that damn mirror and grab her. She had never gotten this close before. She had never left her bed before. She had never spoken to Regina before.

Yet, she couldn't bring herself to do it. It didn't feel right. The timing was wrong, she hadn't planned for this. She wasn't prepared.

But she could do it. She could grab Emma by her silky blonde hair and pull her straight through, out of her bedroom and into the dark palace, and onward to her execution.

It was then that Regina noticed Emma's inquisitive finger, tracing her outline on the smooth surface of the glass that separated them, as if the child were completely mesmerized by her. Perhaps, she was. Perhaps she was curious about the woman whose visage had graced her mirror and her dreams for nearly two years: the Evil Queen who lulled her to sleep with empty platitudes that the girl could not detect the malice in.

Perhaps she was not as intelligent as Regina had once believed. She was the daughter of Snow White, after all.

Regina lifted a finger tentatively to her own mirror, and tapped it against Emma's. She wondered if the girl could feel the reverberation on her side. The almost imperceivable shudder Regina witnessed told her she could. "Off to bed, Little One. You have a birthday tomorrow," Regina reminded her.

Emma smiled thinly. "Now I know for sure you're a dream, because how else could you have known my birthday?"

Regina returned the smile in kind, and slowly let her image vanish from Emma's mirror, though she kept on watching the child. Emma stared at her own reflection for a few moments, her hand still on the glass, before yawning and returning to her bed. Regina watched her climb under the blankets and close her eyes.

Her lips turned down into a scowl once the girl was asleep, and Regina realized the opportunity she had just let slip through her fingers. She could have had Emma's head on a platter, ready to present it to Snow at her daughter's birthday party, but instead, the girl was sleeping, peacefully, out of Regina's reach.

Her jaw clenched in fury as the mirror smashed in front of her – a magical offshoot and another broken mirror to add to the collection she had started since Emma was born. So many mirrors had met untimely ends at pivotal points in the young princess's life; what was one more?

Regina stormed through the palace, and into one of the rooms where a few of her knights were eating, on another apparent break from duty. She thought she was gracious to allow them breaks _at all,_ considering their apparent ineptitude for the task she had given them.

"Why haven't you brought me the girl, yet?" Regina demanded, her fury completely unbridled now.

"Your Majesty," one knight said, as all three stood and bowed. It didn't matter that she hadn't been the Queen in well over a decade, she had their hearts and they continued to address her as she deemed appropriate.

"I asked you a question!" Regina pressed, vehemently.

"We've done everything you've asked, your Majesty," the knight insisted.

"I asked you to bring me the princess!" Regina didn't wait for a response, as she snapped the knight's neck with a simple flick of her wrist. "I trust there will be no more confusion as to what I expect from you?" she asked, before turning on her heel and leaving the room.

She stomped back towards her bedchamber. Stomping was unbecoming of a Queen, but she wasn't a Queen anymore, and she certainly wasn't above a temper tantrum when the mood struck her. She picked up a vase off of her own vanity, and smashed it against the wall across from her, berating herself for her stupidity in not grabbing Emma when she had the chance.

Who knew when, if ever, Emma would come that close again?

Regina sat down, and waved her hand to bring Emma's bedroom back into view through the mirror on her vanity. The princess still slept, peacefully. She hadn't run off to her mother over a nightmare. Perhaps all was not lost.

Perhaps Emma's newfound boldness and keen interest in the woman in the mirror would be the child's downfall. Maybe Regina didn't have to steal her away. Maybe she could force Emma to come to the palace, of her own accord. Or, at least, convince the child to reveal enough secrets of the palace that Regina could find the way in.

Impulsiveness had always ruined her, she recalled. She needed to remember to practice her patience. Emma was still a child, after all. There was still time.

* * *

Regina watched Emma's birthday party through the mirror, just as she had done every year since Emma was born. Emma's birthday was bittersweet to her. It was the anniversary of the day she _didn't_ cast her curse. It was a reminder that her father had perished for nothing. But it was also the promise of a way to hurt Snow, finally and fully; the key to Snow White's ultimate destruction.

And Emma's parents fawned over her. She was dressed in blue, a gown of silk and beads. Her hair was smooth and shone like gold – nothing like her mother's unruly dark locks. No, Regina was sure Emma's beauty would outshine her mother's, if she were allowed to live that long.

Emma smiled along with her parents and they introduced her to the nobility of the Kingdom, and visiting princes from other Kingdoms. As much as the walls kept Emma in, they also kept visitors out, for the most part. Emma watched as Snow and Charming surveyed the princes, and it occurred to her that they were likely preparing to arrange a marriage for their little angel.

Regina had to wonder what the going rate was for a bride that was as good as dead if she ever dared to step beyond the palace walls.

That evening, when the festivities finally dwindled, Emma sat in her room, at her vanity, brushing out her long blonde locks, as Regina made her presence known in the mirror.

"Happy birthday, Little One," Regina said, as she sat at her own vanity, brushing her own hair in a way that nearly mirrored Emma's movements.

Emma blinked once, but didn't look afraid. "I'm awake. You're not a dream. You must be my imagination."

"I must be," Regina agreed.

"You must be, and that's why no one else can see you."

"Clever girl, just like I said," Regina smiled. "And the belle of the ball tonight, I must say. No one shone like you, my darling."

Emma blushed at the compliment. "If you were real, I would have invited you."

"If I were real, I would have come."

Emma turned as she heard her mother calling her name from down the hall. When she turned back to the mirror, Regina had vanished.

From her vanity, Regina watched Emma trace her outline as best she remembered it on the mirror's glass, until Snow finally entered the room.

"There you are!" Snow said, sighing almost as if relief.

Emma didn't turn, but instead looked at her mother's reflection in the mirror, and smiled. If Regina didn't know any better, she would swear those green eyes were piercing right into her own, and that smile was all for her.

"I was waiting for you, Mama," Emma said, holding the hairbrush out for Snow to take. As Snow sat with her daughter, and continued brushing her long locks, Regina couldn't help but wonder what that hair would feel like running between her fingers, or how Emma's porcelain skin would feel under her touch.

She waved the image away quickly. What was she thinking? Emma was not to be cherished, she was to be vanquished.

And Regina was determined to make it happen.

This time, she would not fail.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

 _"I was waiting for you, Mama," Emma beams into the mirror, holding up the hairbrush, expectantly._

 _And Regina watches, but not from in front this time, from behind. She's not in the mirror, she's in the room. She's in Emma's bedroom. How did she get here? She can't remember how she got in._

 _She says nothing, and steps across the floor, closing the distance between herself and her waiting victim. It's so simple now, Emma's neck is right within her reach…_

 _Or she could just rip her heart out, hold it in her hand and order the child to stand before her parents, and crush the life out of her as Snow White watches, in horror, unable to do a thing to save her darling princess._

 _Perhaps she could just slit her throat, and leave her in her bed, letting her bleed out and die slowly, and painfully. Let Snow suffer exponentially more, when she thinks about how if she had just gotten there a moment sooner…_

 _But she doesn't do any of these things. She takes the hairbrush and sits down beside the princess, and starts to brush the silken locks._

 _Emma closes her eyes. "I love when you brush my hair, Mama. You're so gentle to me."_

 _"Perhaps we should braid it?" Regina suggests. She's not sure where the words are coming from, even as they escape her lips. She doesn't seem to think about them at all. "Then we could go riding, just you and me."_

 _"Will you teach me?"_

 _"Anything you want, Little One. You know that."_

Regina shot up in bed, sweating and panting like she'd had a nightmare. She hadn't dreamed even once in the twelve years since Emma was born. Sleep had been a mindless, thoughtless escape from the travesty that her life had become, and she had come to welcome the numbness that it brought to her.

So why was she dreaming again now?

She told herself it must be a coincidence. She had watched Snow brush Emma's hair before going to sleep, and it had spurned a dream. That was all it was.

She knew she was kidding herself.

She got up and walked back to her mirror, unconsciously, and waved her hand to bring Emma's bedroom into view again. She did it so often, she didn't even think about it anymore.

It only took a moment to realize Emma's bed was empty. She swiped the image away, knowing Emma was likely snuggled in between her doting parents once again, and she was not in the mood to watch the happy family.

She didn't want to sleep, either. She wanted to scream, or break something or snap someone's neck. She needed an outlet. In twelve years, she had barely had the desire to leave her palace, but right now, all she wanted to do was run. She wanted to run to the White Palace, tear down the wall, and grab Emma with her bare hands and then…. Well, she wasn't sure what then.

It should be obvious: kill her. But could she do it? _Would_ she do it? Or would she brush the girl's hair and coddle her and let her call her 'Mama' like a common peasant? Where were these thoughts coming from?

"My God, am I going insane?" Regina asked herself, out loud.

She needed to get out. She needed to get away from the palace and her mirror and Emma and clear her head. Twelve years cooped up was taking its toll, and if she didn't stop it, she'd wind up losing her mind, just like Rumple had.

With a wave of her hand she was dressed in clothing she hadn't worn in years: her riding clothes. Tight black leather pants, boots up to her knees, and a black velvet riding jacket that hugged her curves in all the right places, even though it was still dark and she didn't plan on seeing anyone on this trip. It didn't matter, she was still a Queen in her own mind, and she was still regal, even galloping through the woods like a madwoman in the dead of night.

And she rode fast, the horse tearing through the brush. She felt the cold air hit her face, and fill her lungs with a sense of life that she had thought had left her years ago. She felt eighteen again, free and happy, with Daniel. She was making plans to have a family and escape the life she never wanted.

And she felt twelve again, in the fields, racing with her father. He was telling her how proud he was, even as her mother watched on with an ever-present scowl. She didn't care, because she was riding Rocinante again… and suddenly she was reminded why she hadn't been on a horse in so long. The memories were just too painful. She slowed the horse down to a light trot, but she felt like she was the one who couldn't get her breath back, like she was the one who had been running and running and running.

She wondered, again, why Emma hadn't yet learned to ride. She wasn't sure why it bothered her enough to _dream_ about wanting to teach her, but it did. She shook her head roughly, as if trying to throw that thought straight out of her brain. Why should she want to teach the little brat anything? That child was nothing to her, and what good was it for Emma to learn a new skill when she had a death sentence hanging over her head?

She continued to ride, at a slower pace, until she came across something peculiar. Wandering in the middle of the road was a small boy, no more than seven or eight, alone and seemingly lost. Regina slipped silently off of her steed, and approached the boy.

"Are you all alone, little boy?" she asked, as she reached the child.

The boy jumped and turned, his eyes wide, but his face no more fearful at seeing her than he might have been at seeing any other stranger in the night. Given his age, Regina guessed there was a good chance he didn't even know who she was. Even better.

Regina smiled sweetly as the boy nodded. "My parents are dead," he said, tentatively, "and the family I was staying with are poor and they sent me away."

"Oh, what a sad little tale," Regina consoled, "but fear not, my boy, for I'm here to help you."

"You are?" the boy asked. "Are you my fairy godmother?"

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose," Regina agreed. "Now tell me, what is your name, boy?"

"Seth," the boy said, proudly.

"Seth," Regina repeated, smiling at the name. "Well, my boy, you shall now be known forever as Sir Seth, the Queen's most noble and trustworthy Knight."

Before Seth had a moment to process what Regina was saying, her hand delved into his chest and pulled out his heart, glowing red in the night and illuminating Regina's wicked smile as she gazed on it. She only allowed herself to revel for a moment, before turning her dark eyes back on Seth.

"Now, my boy, you will walk to the White Kingdom and tell them of your orphan status, and ask to seek refuge within the palace walls. Snow White will not deny a small child. Once inside, you will befriend the princess Emma, and you will report back to me everything you learn of the princess and the Kingdom, whenever I request."

Seth nodded and turned, and headed off in the direction of the White Palace.

"Safe travels, my handsome young Knight!" Regina called after him, before slipping the heart into her jacket and mounting her horse, back to the dark palace.

When morning arrived, Regina got up and went to the mirror straight away. What she saw surprised her: Emma was already at her mirror, tapping away at the glass as though she could call Regina back that way. Regina let herself appear.

"Good morning, Little One."

Emma gawked at her for a moment, before tilting her head, thoughtfully. "I was worried you wouldn't come, but I thought I could make you appear," she said, as though her thoughts had just been confirmed.

"I'm never far from you." Regina smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Tell me, my darling, why are you not out and about the palace this morning?"

Emma scowled. "There's a boy here. Seth."

"Ah, a young suitor, perhaps?" Regina suggested.

"No! A _child_ ," Emma insisted, as though she were not one herself. "An orphan boy."

"And this bothers you?"

Emma pouted. There was that petulant princess Regina had always known she'd become. "I don't want him here."

"Perhaps you should leave, then?" Regina suggested. Emma's eyes grew wide, and for a moment, Regina wondered if she was pushing her too quickly, and the girl was about to scream any moment.

"This is _my_ home, not his! I don't want to leave, I want him to leave!"

"Well, my dear, perhaps if you ran away, your parents would send him away to get you back?"

"I can't leave."

"Why?"

"The Queen will kill me."

In that moment, Regina realized something she hadn't known before: Emma didn't know she _was_ the Evil Queen. Emma certainly knew Regina was _a_ Queen, as she had made no qualms about addressing herself as such. And Emma had believed that it was the Evil Queen in her mirror when she was ten, but Regina realized now that Emma thought she was more of an imaginary friend, and not the Queen who was out to kill her.

She thought she might actually win this time. Finally.

"I wouldn't let the Queen harm a hair on your pretty head," Regina promised.

"You're not real," Emma shook her head. "You're just my imagination. You can't really protect me."

Emma did not run away that day, nor in the days or weeks or months that followed. She did, however, accept young Seth's offer of friendship. Regina watched as Seth dragged Emma to all corners of the palace. Emma thought they were playing a game, but Regina knew Seth was really mapping the grounds out for her, looking for her way in.

The more interest Emma took in her new little friend, the less attention she gave her imaginary Queen in the mirror.

Regina watched as Emma began to blossom into a young woman. She grew more beautiful with each day that passed, and Regina found herself as equally mesmerized by the girl as Emma had been with her when she was twelve. But Emma barely paid her any attention now. She was becoming a young woman, and far too old to indulge in imaginary friends.

And Emma stopped telling her mother of the Queen's visits, on the increasingly rare occasions that Regina would let herself be seen, rather than just watch Emma in secret. Emma, it seemed, didn't want to be labelled as insane, and decided to keep the Queen in the mirror that she thought only she could see, to herself.

At Emma's fifteenth birthday party, Snow White and Prince Charming announced their daughter's impending engagement to Prince Michael of the Silver Kingdom on the other side of the mountain range.

Regina sneered at the mirror as she watched Emma's thin smile and melancholy eyes. She was still a child, what was Snow thinking? She wondered what protection Prince Michael's family was able to offer that made Snow so eager to betroth her daughter. Perhaps the Silver Kingdom was shielded by magic, in which case, Regina knew she'd have to act fast.

That night, when Emma pounded on the mirror, for the first time in nearly a year, Regina refused to let her presence be known. She watched as Emma flung herself dramatically onto her bed, and bawled. She picked up Seth's heart.

"Tell her to run."

In mere moments, Seth was in Emma's bed chambers. Regina knew that Snow had forbidden him to enter Emma's bed chambers alone once he had turned ten and Emma fourteen, but Emma didn't look concerned. Snow and her husband were still entertaining guests at the party.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Seth asked.

"I don't want to marry Prince Michael!" Emma wailed.

"But why?

"Because I don't _love_ him!"

"You should run away."

Emma sat up and looked at Seth through bleary eyes, as if she were seeing him for the first time. "I can't. The Queen will kill me," she reminded him.

 _Tell her the Queen is dead._

"The Queen is dead," Seth said, automatically. "You didn't know?"

Emma swallowed back a sob in her throat, as she looked at her mirror. It was just a mirror. "I haven't seen her in a year," she whispered to herself.

"Seen who?" Seth asked.

" _My_ Queen." Emma blinked, suddenly aware of what she was saying. "No one. The Evil Queen, she's dead? And my parents want to marry me off, anyway?"

Seth nodded, solemnly.

"Then I will run," Emma vowed, wiping her tears on her sleeve. "You must cover for me, until morning. By morning light, I will be far from the palace. Tell my mother I will return when the engagement is called off."

Regina grinned maliciously as she watched Emma sneak from her room, and out of the palace, and through the courtyard, to the weak spot in the wall that she and Seth had found, months ago. It was there, just _waiting_ for the right moment. And so were Regina's knights.

And now, all _she_ had to do was wait.

* * *

"Where is she!" Regina thundered, as more knights returned, empty-handed. Emma had been gone for hours, and they had yet to retrieve her. The White Kingdom was already on alert, and Snow's knights were everywhere, racing to find the girl as well.

"Your Majesty," she heard the Huntsman's voice behind her. Regina's scowl turned to a dark smile as she spun around to see what he had to present her with.

And when she saw her, it was better than she ever could have expected.

"Princess Emma." Regina smiled, tasting the girl's name on her tongue. "Welcome home."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

"Huntsman," Regina said, turning her eyes on him for just a moment, "years ago, you failed to bring me Snow White's heart, but you did bring me her beloved daughter when apparently no one else could. Finally, you've proven yourself worthy."

Regina turned her attention back to Emma. Her pretty green dress, the one she had worn to her birthday party earlier that evening, was filthy and torn now, from running in the woods. Her hair was disheveled and littered with small twigs and thistles, and her skin was dirty. She wasn't crying now, though the streak lines through the dirt on her cheeks were evidence that she had been, and her eyes were still bloodshot.

And yet, she was captivating.

The huntsman had her by one arm and a knight had the other. Her wrists were shackled together, which even Regina had to admit was a little over the top. What did they think this child was going to do? The huntsman alone was twice her size.

"Emma, are you going to stand there gawking all day, or are you going to greet your Queen?"

Emma continued to gawk, speechless, her wide, watery green eyes never leaving Regina's face.

"Are you feeling shy, Little One?" Regina cooed, taking a step closer. Emma tried to step back, but it was impossible with the knights surrounding her. "Would you feel more comfortable if it were just you and me? Shall I ask my knights to leave? Is that what you want?"

Emma blinked and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She just nodded.

"Out!" Regina commanded at the knights. "You, as well, Huntsman. You're making my guest feel nervous."

As ordered, the knights and the huntsman filed out of the room, the last of them closing the large, heavy wooden doors behind them. Emma jumped at the sound of the doors shutting.

"Is that better, my darling?" Regina asked, reaching a hand out, slowly, to touch Emma's cheek. She stopped just before she made contact, and reached down for the shackles around Emma's wrists instead, her fingers touching leather and metal, rather than soft skin. She pulled up on the shackles, bringing Emma's hands into view between them. "Would you like me to remove these?"

Emma turned her eyes to the shackles for a moment, tensing up as she curled her hands into fists. She didn't answer.

"What's the matter? You don't want to talk to me? Didn't you miss me? It's been so long," Regina continued, her voice dripping with forced sweetness. "Do you want these off? Yes or no? You need to answer me, because I'm fine either way."

"Yes," Emma whispered, still looking at the cuffs and not at Regina.

"See, was that so hard?" Regina smiled, waving her free hand over Emma's wrist, and vanishing the shackles in a small puff of purple smoke that made Emma gasp. "All you had to do was ask. I can give you everything you want."

With the cuff gone, Regina's hand was now gripping Emma's bare wrist, and she reveled in the first physical contact she had made with the girl who had haunted her life for fifteen years. She gripped Emma's wrist a little too tightly, she thought, just to make sure she was really real.

"I sent my knights away for you. I took your shackles away. What else do you want, Emma?"

"I want to go home," Emma stated, her wavering voice betraying her nerves.

"Really? So soon? But you just got here," Regina said, in a mock pout.

Emma steeled her eyes, and Regina was impressed. The girl had more tenacity than she had expected. "I said, I want to go _home_ ," Emma reiterated.

"See, and here I was thinking you wanted to run away. Where ever did I get that silly notion? Very well, run along then. Run home to Mommy and Daddy and crawl into their bed and I'll just be a distant nightmare, once again. Or shall I send you straight to the Silver Kingdom to be with your betrothed? Which would you prefer, Emma?"

Of course, Emma couldn't have run if she tried, with Regina's hand still a vice grip on her slim wrist, and dozens of knights standing guard just outside the tall wooden doors. And of course, Regina knew this.

"Then again," Regina said, thoughtfully, "I can't very well send you into your waiting husband's arms looking like a common peasant, can I?"

Before Emma could react, Regina waved her hand again, and a cloud of purple smoke enveloped her. She blinked a few times as it dissipated, and Regina smiled wildly. "Much better. I like you in blue," Regina commented, as Emma looked down at her new powder blue dress. Regina still had a hold of her wrist, but her skin was clean again.

"Come, child, let's fix your hair for your prince," Regina said, moving her hand from Emma's wrist, to place it flat on Emma's back, and leading her down a long hallway, to her bedchambers. She sat the girl down in front of the vanity and perched herself beside her, absently reaching for the hairbrush. She hadn't been able to get the idea of Emma's hair out of her head ever since her dream three years ago.

She worked in silence, picking the twigs and thistles from Emma's hair, and smoothing it out with the brush. The golden locks felt like cool silk between her fingers, softer than she could have ever imagined. When she was done, she turned and smiled at the two of them reflected into the mirror. Fifteen years she had waited for them to be on the same side of that glass, and it still felt surreal.

"This must be a dream," Emma said, softly, as if she were thinking out loud.

"Does it feel like a dream?"

Emma shook her head. "No, but it must be, or else you would have killed me already. And also, you're dead."

Regina actually laughed. This poor child was so naïve and trusting, believing everything anyone told her. That must have been the result of living as a virtual prisoner inside the palace her whole life, and being raised by Snow White, the reigning Queen of being too trusting.

"What makes you think I'm dead?"

"Someone told me."

"Well, my dear, I'm afraid you've been misinformed. This is not a dream, and I'm alive and well."

"So, you will kill me then," Emma stated calmly, her voice sounding oddly braver than it should have at that moment. Regina was reminded of her own resolve whenever she was faced with her own impending demise. Emma may be naïve, but she was certainly a little spitfire as well.

"Well, to be perfectly fair, Emma, I have never issued a death threat onto you," Regina stated, simply.

"But my mother said-"

"Your mother makes a lot of baseless assumptions, unfortunately," Regina shrugged, nonchalantly. She wasn't exactly _lying_. She had never expressed an explicit threat onto the girl, it had more or less just gone without saying.

"My mother said you're the Evil Queen," Emma said, suddenly turning her gaze down to her own hands, apparently unable to handle Regina's piercing eyes in the mirror any longer.

"Well, I was the Queen, until she stripped my title away," Regina agreed, "but _evil_ , Emma? Really? That seems a bit harsh, doesn't it? Have I ever said or done anything to give you that impression of me?"

"No, I suppose not," Emma replied, tentatively.

Regina smiled again. "If it weren't for your mother, Emma, you and I, we would have been family. Did you know that? You could have grown up here, happy and free. I never would have caged you in like an animal."

"That's not what they did," Emma insisted. "They were protecting me."

"If you had been here, you wouldn't have needed protection," Regina sighed. It was partially true, she supposed, since if Emma had arrived even a few years earlier, she would have been dead the moment she stepped into the palace, and corpses certainly didn't need protection. "Do you still want to go home?"

Emma nodded, solemnly, looking up to meet Regina's gaze in the mirror, again.

"Hmm… well, _I_ want to make up for lost time. And _you_ don't want to marry Prince Michael. Perhaps we could come up with a compromise?"

"What kind of compromise?" Emma asked, biting at her lip, nervously.

The corner of Regina's lip curled up in a smirk at the deliciously impure thoughts that watching Emma bite her lip stirred up in her decidedly deviant brain. "How about you let me worry about that? Come, it's late, time to get to bed. You'll stay the night here, in my palace, safe and sound, and we'll work out a deal in the morning."

Regina ushered Emma up to standing, and led her across the room to a door that joined Regina's bedroom to the bedroom next to it. That door hadn't always been there, but luckily for Regina, magic made it simple to change the structure of the palace to meet her needs, when convenient.

"There's no door out," Emma noted, slightly panicked, as her eyes took in the room before her: there was a large window with iron bars, a queen sized canopy bed, a vanity and a wardrobe, but the only doors in the room where the one that led to the small en suite powder room, and the one that led back into Regina's bed chambers.

"What do you need a door for? Where would you need to go?" Regina asked, innocently. "I can't have you wandering about the palace, now can I? It's large and unfamiliar and you could be lost for days on end. I'm trying to keep you safe. I would have thought you'd be used to being kept, well, contained."

"My parents don't lock me in my room," Emma scowled.

"You're not locked in," Regina pointed out. "You don't even have to close the door, if you don't want to."

"I think I'll want to."

"Whatever you wish, my darling. Now, would you like me to sit with you until you fall asleep? Perhaps sing you a lullaby? Read you a bedtime story?" Regina suggested.

"No, thank you." Emma shook her head, quickly.

"Very well. You'll find a change of clothes in the wardrobe. I'll wake you when morning comes, and we'll work out our compromise," Regina promised, smiling even as Emma continued to pout. "Sleep well, my princess."

Regina stepped back into her bedchambers, allowing Emma to close the door quickly behind her. It didn't matter. She'd waited fifteen years to get Emma into her palace at all, she could wait for the girl to come around to the plan she was devising in her head now. After all, she was still a child. There was time.

She headed straight to her mirror and brought Snow White into view. Not surprisingly, she was crying, being held by her valiant prince. Regina grinned, malevolently. There was nothing Prince Charming could do now. Their good fortune had just run out, as the light of their pathetic lives was with her now, just beyond that large wooden door.

But Regina didn't want to celebrate alone. She called in her Huntsman, and drew his attention to the scene playing out on the mirror.

"Several years ago, I asked you to bring me Snow White's heart," Regina recalled, as if he could have ever forgotten. "And, now, my dear Huntsman, I can surely say you've finally succeeded, because her heart lives with that child. Do tell me, how did you manage it, when countless of my knights - and hers - couldn't?"

The huntsman swallowed, tearing his emotionless eyes away from the mirror, and onto Regina's. "I won her trust," he said, simply. "She was frightened and alone, and I offered her my protection, and refuge."

"Brilliant," Regina beamed. "And your gallant effort shall not go unrewarded. You shall remain in my employ indefinitely, however from this day forth, you are freed from any… _physical_ … obligation to me."

"Yes, your Majesty," the Huntsman agreed, though Regina couldn't help but think he almost looked disappointed. She supposed he should be, as this particular reward could also be considered a punishment, in its own right.

But she wasn't doing it for him. Severing their sexual relationship – if you could call it a relationship – was all for Regina. She didn't need him monopolizing her time or her bed, now that she had Emma. Not that she would corrupt Emma right away. No, she would have to take her time - win her trust, as the Huntsman had.

And Snow would suffer more in the process. She wouldn't lose her daughter to death, she would lose her daughter to darkness. She would lose her daughter to Regina.

"That will be all, Huntsman," Regina said, with a dismissive wave of her hand. Once he'd left, she swiped away the image of Snow on her mirror, and replaced it with a view of Emma, in the next room. Emma was curled up in the bed, the covers pulled up to her ears. Regina couldn't tell if she was sleeping or just hiding, but it didn't matter. What mattered was she was _here_.

And Regina was going to win.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

Regina wasn't surprised when Snow White's army showed up around the perimeter of the dark palace's courtyard before daylight even struck. In fact, she was slightly shocked they weren't there sooner. Had Regina not been their first suspect? Was she losing her touch?

She watched out the window as the horses trotted back and forth just beyond the invisible barrier of magic that she had enacted the moment Emma had arrived. Blood magic, and lucky for her, she had no blood relations left. No one was getting through without her express permission.

And she intended to make them wait.

It was late after all, and she needed her rest.

Regina arose when day broke, and after magically dressing herself in a long, tight black dress, she looked out the large balcony of her bedroom. Sure enough, Snow's army was still present, and had doubled in size from the last time she had looked out. She called in two of her knights.

"Your Majesty," one greeted, as they both bowed.

"Tell Snow White's army that I will only speak to the Queen herself," Regina instructed. Though referring to that petulant brat as 'Queen' left a rotten taste in her mouth, she supposed that was her true title now. "I wish to offer her a deal."

"Yes, your Majesty," the knight replied, as both made their way out to address the waiting army.

Regina smiled as she stepped over to the door leading into the other room. She was surprised to meet resistance when she pushed on the door. She used her magic to force the door open, only to discover that Emma had pushed the large wardrobe up against it, as if that could keep Regina out.

Regina raised an eyebrow as she regarded the young princess sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed again in the powder blue dress Regina had given her the night before. Or perhaps still dressed in it, as Regina didn't actually know if the child had changed into sleep wear the previous evening.

"Trying to keep me out, my darling? I'm hurt," Regina said, putting a hand over her heart.

"My parents' army is here," Emma said, matter-of-factly, "you're going to have to surrender."

"Is that what you think?" Regina asked, moving closer to Emma. "You do understand why the horses are just pacing, yes? They can't get past my _magic_."

Emma shifted nervously, glancing out the window again. "My parents will rescue me," Emma insisted, though her voice was a little shakier this time.

"Rescue you from what, dear? What have I done to you?" Regina asked, moving to sit beside Emma on the bed. Emma shifted a few inches away, her wary eyes never leaving Regina. "I thought you were willing to make a compromise with me? I can save you from your impending marriage, you realize."

"How?" Emma asked, her voice just a whisper.

Regina smiled as she patted her knee. "Let me worry about how," she insisted. "All you need to worry about is what your end of the deal is. Nothing comes for free, you know."

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing but your time, my darling," Regina cooed.

"I… I don't understand," Emma stammered.

"It's been dreadfully _lonely_ cooped up in this palace since your mother banished me. My knights are a terrible _bore_ , you must understand. You, however, are so young and full of life," Regina explained.

"So you want me to spend time with you?" Emma asked, unsure of what Regina's true intentions were in all of this.

"Precisely. I don't even expect _all_ of your time," Regina continued. "Just come and visit me a few times a week. Spend the night at my palace, and keep me company. That's all I ask."

"And what… what would we do?"

"Whatever you want, my darling," Regina promised, smiling widely.

"And if I agree, then you can prevent my wedding to prince Michael? Forever?" Emma asked, her eyes wide.

"Of course, my darling. Doesn't that sound like a fair trade?" Regina asked, sweetly.

Emma nodded. "Yes."

"Wonderful," Regina beamed, just as one of her knights entered the room.

"Your Majesty, Snow White has arrived."

Regina nodded and stood. She should have known that Snow wouldn't be far, and it wouldn't take her long to arrive. Emma stood up quickly as well.

"Guard the princess," Regina said to the knight, as she stepped to move past him.

"I want to see my mother!" Emma cried out. Regina stopped and turned back to her, looking almost offended for a moment.

"You will," she said, "after I speak to her."

With that, she turned and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind her. She made a stop along the way to grab the heart of the knight in Emma's room, before poofing herself to the edge of her magical barrier, where Snow White stood in wait.

"Where is my daughter?" Snow demanded, stepping as close as she could to Regina without being blasted back by her magic. Several of her guards had met that fate already, and they had effectively mapped out the edge of the barrier.

"Well, hello to you, too, dear," Regina said, with a menacing smile. She couldn't help but notice Snow's eyes on the heart in her hand, which she no doubt believed to be the heart of her precious daughter. "How long has it been now? Don't you want to come give mother a hug?"

"You are _not_ my mother," Snow spat. "Return my daughter."

"Come and get her," Regina offered, motioning toward the palace. "Oh, that's right, you _can't_. I suppose that means it's time for you to stop making demands on me."

"Regina, what do you want?" Snow asked, drastically changing her tactic. "Whatever it is, I will give it to you."

"Well, dear, I'm glad you're feeling so generous, because I happen to have a deal in mind for you."

"What is it? What do you want?"

"Your daughter."

Regina smiled as she show the fear register on Snow's face. No doubt she was wondering what Regina could possibly mean by that.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Regina scoffed. "I just want to borrow her, from time to time."

"What are you talking about?" Snow asked, genuinely confused at this point.

"A compromise, so we can all get what we want. In return for not killing your wretched daughter, you will bring her to me whenever I ask, and I will promise to return her in the same condition I got her in. Does that sound reasonable?"

Snow shook her head, trying to reconcile what Regina was saying. "So, you want my daughter to come on social visits? What are you planning on doing with her when you have her?"

"Well, I'm afraid that's between Emma and myself," Regina shrugged. "What do you say, Snow?"

"What makes you so sure that I will ever bring her back if you give her to me right now?" Snow demanded.

Regina smiled and leaned in close. "I got her once, I can get her again. Do you really want to take your chances? I'm offering you your daughter's safety, take it or leave it."

Snow watched as Regina held up the heart in her hand, looking like she was about to start squeezing. "Wait!" she cried out. "You have a deal!"

"Oh, dear, not so fast. There's another factor to consider here," Regina said, lowering the heart again.

"What factor?"

"I said we can _all_ get what we want. I haven't yet told you what Emma wants."

"What could my daughter possibly want from you?"

Regina smiled. "Not from me dear, from _you_. You will call off her engagement to Prince Michael of the Silver Kingdom, and I will agree not to harm a hair on your daughter's head."

"Done," Snow agreed. "Now bring me my daughter."

"As you wish, dear," Regina smiled, and brought the heart back to her lips again. "Bring out the princess," she ordered, and looked up just in time to see the expression on Snow's face as she realized that the heart in her hand was not Emma's after all.

"What's the matter, dear?" Regina cooed at her, condescendingly. "Did you think this was Emma's heart? Why on earth would I remove her heart? I _want_ her to feel, how else will she ever grow to love me?"

"She will _never_ love you," Snow hissed.

"We shall see, won't we?" Regina smiled, and turned back to watch for Emma to emerge from the palace. A few minutes later, she saw her, being led by the arm by the dark knight, who brought the girl to stand next to Regina.

"Mama!" Emma cried, attempting to run to her mother. Regina grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.

"You don't want to touch that barrier, dear," she warned. "Not after I just promised your mother I wouldn't hurt you. You won't want to make me look like a liar, do you?"

Emma blinked up at Regina, unsure of what to say or do.

"So shy, this one," Regina said to Snow. "You really shouldn't have kept her so sheltered, dear."

"Regina, we had a deal. Give her back," Snow insisted.

"Yes, yes, always so impatient, your mother is," Regina said, turning back to Emma. "Now, little one, your mother and I have come to an agreement. She will call off your engagement to the young Prince Michael, _today_ , and she will return you to me tonight."

"Tonight?" Snow cried. "You didn't say _tonight_!"

"Oh, didn't I, dear? Oh well, then, yes, you will return her tonight, by sundown. You can fetch her again before lunch tomorrow," Regina said, with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Oh, and Snow, no need for the theatrics next time," Regina continued, motioning towards the army around her. "A single carriage will do just fine, I think."

"Fine, Regina, whatever you want. Just please give me back my daughter," Snow said, her voice coming dangerously close to begging, the longer she watched Regina with her grip on Emma's arm.

"Very well," Regina agreed, waving a hand over Emma's head and pushing her past the magical barrier. "See you tonight, little one."

Emma didn't respond as she fell into her mother's waiting arms. "Please don't bring me back here, Mama!"

Regina smirked. "Emma, you and I have a deal, too, you remember?" she reminded her.

Emma half-turned to her and nodded, trying not to make actual eye contact with Regina.

Regina smiled and poofed herself back into her own bed chambers as Snow's army began their retreat, and watched Emma's figure disappear into the distance.

"Until tonight, little one," she breathed, before heading to her vanity and opening her jewellery box, retrieving the necklace bearing Daniel's ring. "We're so close, my love," she whispered, kissing the ring. "So close I can taste it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

The only time Regina actually _enjoyed_ visiting Rumplestiltskin was when she had something to gloat about. It had been quite some time – fifteen years, to be exact – since she had had anything to hold over his head. She felt this visit was long overdue.

The vile smell of rotting food and rodents met her nostrils the second she began to descend the cobblestone steps to his magical prison cell. The single guard on duty jumped up the moment he heard her heels clicking, but she froze him in an instant with a flick of her wrist.

"Your Majesty. Do what do I owe the pleasure?"

She heard him before she saw him, creeping out of the darkness on all fours like a wounded animal. The putrid stench grew stronger the closer she stepped to his cell, and she realized much of it was _him_.

"I just came to inform you that I've won," Regina said, haughtily.

"You think so, do you dearie?" Rumple asked in his condescending voice, as neared the bars of the cell. He gripped on tight and pulled himself to standing, though he was still hunched over. Regina assumed that was the result of years without sunlight or proper nutrition, but she didn't particularly care about Rumple's fate.

"Yes," Regina confirmed, "and I didn't need your Dark Curse after all. How stupid you were not to take Snow White up on her offer, trading your freedom for her daughter's protection."

"So you've killed the savior then, is that it?"

"No, actually," Regina sighed, "I decided that murder is just so… pedestrian. I have a far worse fate in store for Snow White."

"Dearie, everything you do is pedestrian. I knew it wasn't in you to kill a child, even if that child is the offspring of Snow White. It's almost _charming_ that you think you have a chance of succeeding without the Dark Curse. You can't escape your destiny, dearie."

"I already did."

"No, dearie, you didn't. You will cast the curse. The princess will be the savior. All you did was cost yourself ten years in your new world."

"It's been fifteen years," Regina pointed out.

"Has it? My, my, how time flies," Rumple mused. "Carry on, Your Majesty, don't let me keep you from whatever plan you have concocted in that devious little brain of yours. See you in the new world."

Without another word, Regina turned and stormed out of the prison. She should have known better than to come here. She should have known conversations with Rumple never went the way she expected them to. She should know better by now than to let him get to her, and eat away at her self-confidence.

He was wrong. She was sure he was wrong. She would win, even without the dark curse.

* * *

Regina stormed through the hallways of her palace, still seething from her conversation with Rumple. All the things that could go wrong were streaming through her head now. What if Snow never brought Emma back to the palace? What if she called her bluff, realizing that it took her fifteen years to get her in the first place? What if Emma _told_ her that she ran away of her own volition the first time?

Regina was panicking as she waved her hands in front of a mirror, bringing Emma's bedroom into view. She was surprised to find it wasn't Emma there, but rather Snow and David, in the midst of a rather heated conversation.

"We are not handing our daughter over to her like a lamb to the slaughter," David said, his arms crossed and his face intense. Regina wished she had gotten to see the beginning of this conversation. She would have _loved_ to see Snow propose this deal to her prince.

"What else can we do? If we don't abide by Regina's terms, she'll just take Emma anyway, and she might kill her," Snow said. Tears were still fresh in her eyes, and that brought a smile to Regina's lips.

"How can you be so sure that's not her plan anyway?" David insisted. He did make a valid point, Regina thought, as she waited for Snow to counter.

"If she was going to kill her, she would have done it already," Snow replied.

Ah, there it is _,_ Regina thought to herself. Even after all these years , if there was one thing she could count on, it was Snow still having faith in her goodness, no matter how many times Regina proved that she had snuffed it out completely.

"Save a bitch's life _one_ time, and she's forever in your debt," Regina muttered to herself, before allowing herself to come into view on Emma's vanity mirror. "So sorry to intrude, dears, but my ears were burning."

Snow and David both jumped at the all-too-familiar voice, and turned to face her in the mirror.

"You will never get your hands on my daughter again," David said, drawing his sword and stepping towards the mirror.

"Is that so?" Regina asked, pressing one hand to the mirror, and allowing it to pass through to their side. "How to do you plan to stop me?" She pulled her hand back before David had the opportunity to chop it off, but she figured her point had been made. They didn't need to know that she couldn't actually step through the mirror, and her only chance of pulling Emma through would be if Emma was within arms' reach of the glass. They just needed to believe that Regina had a way in.

And by the looks on their faces, Regina was sure they were convinced.

"So, dears, my offer still stands. You bring Emma to me, whenever I ask, and I will not harm her. If you go back on your word, well, I can't make any promises. What's it going to be?"

"We'll have her there by sundown," Snow said, and this time, David didn't disagree.

"Actually, I'm bored. Bring her now," Regina said suddenly.

"Regina…" Snow said, but apparently decided against arguing, for the sake of Emma's safety.

"Send her in riding clothes," Regina continued.

"She doesn't ride," Snow said, sounding almost ashamed at the admission.

"Yes, I'm aware, and it's appalling. It's high time she learned. Send her now or I will come and fetch her myself," Regina said, before vanishing herself from the mirror again, not allowing Snow or David to get another word in.

"What is your plan, your Majesty?"

Regina jumped at the Genie's voice from a mirror behind her. She spun around and grinned at his vaguely interested face.

"I have to win the girl's trust before I can enact my plan," Regina said, matter-of-factly. "She needs to see me as an ally, first. A friend, even."

The word left a bitter taste in Regina's mouth, but she shrugged it off as she headed to her bedchambers to get ready for the princess's arrival.

* * *

The carriage from the White Kingdom brought Emma to the Dark Palace in the early afternoon, several hours before sunset. Regina was waiting, outside, dressed in black leather pants, and a tight, red velvet riding jacket. Her hair was pulled up high and she had on tall boots and long black leather gloves.

By contrast, Emma stepped out of the carriage in tan riding pants and a cream coloured jacket. Her hair was tightly braided down her back, and Regina smiled at the sight of her, looking as innocent and untarnished as ever; her sweet girl, naïve and unjaded, ripe for corruption.

But not today.

Regina refused to acknowledge Snow and David as they stood with their daughter, and instead reached across the magical barrier to grab Emma by the arm and pull her through.

"Ta-ta,dears" she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, before leading Emma off in the other direction.

Emma stiffened as Regina wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and led her across the palace grounds, towards the stables.

"Did your parents ask what happened last time you were here?" Regina asked, as if she were just making idle small talk with an old friend.

"Yes."

"And what did you tell them?"

"I told them the truth," Emma said, quietly.

"The truth? And what was that?"

"I said that you didn't hurt me," Emma offered. "And that I wasn't afraid of you."

"Good," Regina nodded her approval. "I don't want you to be afraid of me. Your mother likes to paint me as something of a monster, but I disagree. I think you will, too."

When they reached the stables, Regina brought Emma up to a large steed who was tacked and ready to ride. Emma's eyes went wide as she looked at the animal.

"This is Diablo," Regina said, as she reached up to stroke the horse's mane, "and we're going to ride him today."

"I've never been on a horse," Emma admitted, nervously.

"Yes, and that truly is a shame. But it's never too late to learn, my princess." Regina smiled. "Now, no time to waste. Come over here and put your foot right here. Left foot," Regina directed, indicating to the stirrup.

Emma hesitated for a moment, but then stepped over and lifted her foot into the stirrup.

"Good," Regina said, "now, I want you to hold on to the saddle, right here, both hands, and put all your weight on to that foot, and lift your right leg over."

Emma took a deep breath and did what she was told. It took three attempts to get enough momentum to get her leg up and over the horse, and when she finally did, she was at a slightly awkward angle, leaning too far over to the left, and looking panicked.

Regina put her hands on Emma's left leg for support, lest the girl fall off. "Find the other stirrup with your other foot."

"I can't!" Emma cried. Regina could see that her knuckles were going white from how hard she was gripping the saddle.

"I'm not going to let you fall, dear," Regina reassured her. "Just find the other stirrup."

After a few more moments of panicking, Emma found the other stirrup and managed to relax a little, until Regina let go of her leg and removed her left foot from its stirrup.

Emma watched as Regina stepped into that stirrup and mounted the horse, right behind Emma. Regina let Emma have the stirrup back and let her feet dangle as she pressed her body up against Emma's and reached around her to pick up the reins.

"Now, Emma, I just want you to relax," Regina said, as she started the horse off on a slow trot. "We won't go fast or far, I just want you to get a feel for it."

"Why do you care so much if I ride?" Emma asked, as she still sat tensely against Regina's body.

Regina didn't answer. She didn't really _have_ an answer to give, at this point. "Don't question me," she said, finally.

Regina took the reins into one hand, and wrapped her other arm around Emma's waist, holding her tightly as she let the horse pick up the pace, just a little. "One day, little one, you and I will race side by side," she promised.

"My mother used to ride," Emma said. "She told me she was good."

Regina's expression darkened. "Do _not_ talk about your mother when you are with me, do you understand?"

Emma nodded. "Sorry, I just…"

"It's alright, you didn't know. From now on, please refrain from mentioning her, unless I do. Your mother ruined my life, and I suffer every day because of her. You, on the other hand, are sweet and good, and I don't wish to taint my image of you with thoughts of her."

Somewhere in the discussion, Regina lost sight of what she was doing on the horse, and before she realized it, she had Diablo going fast enough to scare the young princess.

"Your Majesty!" Emma cried out, putting a hand in front of her face as if to shield it from an unseen force about to strike her.

What happened next surprised even Regina.

A blast of white light shot out from Emma's fingertips, stopping the horse and freezing him on the spot.

"What was that?" Emma cried, her voice shaking.

But Regina just grinned. This was an unexpected turn of events indeed, and her mind was already racing with ideas on how she could use this to her advantage. Something in her touch must have spurned something lying dormant inside Emma, and now that it was arising, Regina realized she could use it to transform Snow White's innocent little girl into her own Dark Princess.

She could see it now: a taste of the darkness, and in time, Emma would renounce her family and her former life. And Regina, with her hands on the rightful heir to the throne… well, the possibilities were endless. Suddenly, she could see where the appeal had been for her own mother.

She would find a way to turn Emma from ally into friend into lover into ruler, and the disgraced Savior would help her destroy everyone's happy endings even without the curse.

Rumplestiltskin was wrong. He would suffer nearly as much as Snow White.

But right now, all Regina had was a terrified girl trembling in her arms. She dropped the reins from her other hand, and wrapped that arm around Emma as well, squeezing her tightly from behind, in a way that she hoped was reassuring, but she couldn't quite tell anymore these days.

"That, my dear," she breathed into Emma's waiting ear, "was magic."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Regina had seen enough in her life to recognize pure panic when she saw it, and that's what Emma was doing now. She stiffened up in Regina's arms, still trembling, her breaths short and shallow, as if she were about to hyperventilate.

"Hush, princess," Regina cooed, "everything is alright." Regina lifted a hand to smooth out Emma's hair, and was surprised when Emma seemed to lean into the touch. Perhaps it would be easier to win the child over than she thought.

She sat with her, on the frozen horse, cooing in her ear and holding to her close with one arm, while stroking her cheek with the back of the other hand, until Emma seemed to calm down.

"I don't have magic," Emma insisted, when she finally got her breathing under control.

"It would appear, my darling, that you do. Likely from being the product of true love, or some other nonsense," Regina explained, waving off the idea of true love as if it were ridiculous. In her mind, it really was.

"I don't _want_ magic," Emma whined, a little too petulantly for Regina's liking. She reminded her too much of Snow White when she whined like that.

"Well, that's rather unfortunate," Regina said, curtly, as she removed her hand from Emma's cheek and picked up the reins, magically unfreezing Diablo in the process. She steered the horse back towards the palace. "That's enough riding for today."

Emma didn't object to that. She hadn't wanted to go riding in the first place. She slumped back slightly against Regina, the weight of everything that had just occurred apparently proving to be too much for her to handle.

Regina dismounted the horse first, in a smooth, graceful motion, and stood at Emma's right side, waiting for her to follow suit. "Come along, princess, we don't have all day," Regina said, the annoyance resonating in her voice.

Emma looked down at her, unsure. The horse was tall and she was terrified. She didn't want to fall, but she didn't want to stay up on Diablo anymore, either. She sighed, and maintained her death grip on the saddle as she swung her leg over. Regina caught her by the hips and helped her lower to the ground, gently.

"You did very well, my princess," Regina said, wrapping an arm around Emma's shoulder to lead her back up to the castle, as a stable hand tended to Diablo. "Are you ready for dinner?"

Emma looked up at the sky. She was too nervous to be hungry, but she could see it was beginning to grow dark and she knew it was likely dinner time. "Yes, your Majesty," she said, softly.

"My Darling, when it's just you and I, simply Regina will suffice. Regina wore her former title like a badge of honour, but she wanted Emma to come to trust her, and she knew this would be important.

"Regina," Emma repeated. It felt odd to her to address an adult, much less a Queen, by her given name, but who was she to refuse such a request? After all, Regina wasn't _really_ a Queen anymore, anyway, she reasoned.

Emma couldn't help staring down at her hands. Her mind was stuck replaying that moment where she had produced magic out of nowhere. Had that been inside her all along? What would her parents think?

"Don't worry about the magic," Regina sighed, reading the perplexed expression on the child's face. "I'll help you with that."

Regina opened her hand, and in a small puff of purple smoke, and object appeared. She held it up for Emma to see: it was a silver swan pendant on a chain. Emma looked at it in awe, before Regina stopped to place it around her neck, fastening the delicate clasp at the back.

Emma picked the pendant up in her hand. It was cool to the touch. "It's beautiful," Emma breathed. "But why?" She certainly wasn't expecting gifts from the Queen, not after she'd spent her whole life expecting Regina to kill her.

"It's enchanted," Regina explained, as she waved a hand and Emma dropped the pendant as the whole necklace glowed white around her neck. "It will contain your magic, until you learn to control it yourself."

"Thank you," Emma said, relieved at the explanation. She picked up the pendant again, which was still remarkably cool. "Why a swan?"

"Swans are creatures of light," Regina smiled. "Pure and good, like you, my little swan. This pendant can protect you, when I can't."

Emma beamed at the compliment. "Everyone's wrong about you," she said. "I don't know why the Kingdom fears you. You're good, too."

Regina's lips curled up in a dark smile. She supposed she really ought to thank Snow White for raising such a naïve child, one so wholly trusting and pliable. She was well aware that she was going to have to force some of that goodness out of Emma to succeed in her plans, but at least Emma was going to make it easy for her.

* * *

For dinner that evening, Regina had ordered her cooks prepare an elegant feast, even though it was only herself and the princess eating. Regina sat at the head of the table, where she always sat, when she actually ate, and Emma sat directly to her right.

"You should throw a ball," Emma commented, as they dined.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Should I? In celebration of what, I wonder?"

"It doesn't have to be for anything," Emma insisted. "It could just be to show the Kingdom that you aren't who they think you are."

"Hmm. Perhaps I like that they think that," Regina replied.

"Why? Why don't you want them to see you this way? My mother was sure you would kill me, but you're kind to me," Emma continued.

"I thought I warned you about mentioning your mother to me," Regina reminded her.

Emma blushed. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

"You are forgiven," Regina sighed. "In any event, I like that the Kingdom fears me because then they leave me alone. The only person I want here is you, my darling."

"But why?" Emma pressed. The child was starting to get on Regina's last nerve.

"Stop asking me silly questions, Emma. Just trust that I know best in these matters," Regina said, and her tone expressed that the conversation was over.

Regina couldn't help but notice the sullen expression that overtook the girl's face. She was so eager to please, Regina noted, and in that she saw a fair bit of her younger self in Emma. They were two of a kind, really, Regina mused. The irony of it all.

"Perhaps one day I shall throw a ball in your honour," Regina said, not wanting her little princess to sulk. She needed her to _want_ to be here.

Shiny green eyes met Regina's as Emma looked up and smiled. "I think that would be lovely. So long as we don't invite anyone from the Silver Kingdom."

"Yes, tell me my darling, what appeal does that Kingdom have to your parents, that they should be so hasty to marry off their only child?"

Emma looked down at her plate, pushing the remaining food around with her fork. Regina watched her, thinking that 'child' was a very accurate assessment. This girl was nowhere near ready to be married off. She cringed imagining how horrible the wedding night would be for her. She had done Emma more of a favour than Snow would likely ever realize. She stupid woman could see nothing but good in the world, she only knew of the evil that reveals itself in the day. She had no idea of the kind of evils that hide behind closed doors, in the bedchambers of Kings and their young Queens or princes and even younger princesses.

"Rumplestiltskin owes the King a favour," Emma explained, earning herself a sharp laugh from Regina.

"Oh, does he? And let me guess, in return for your hand in marriage, the King offered to cash in his favour on a protection spell, for you?"

Emma nodded, solemnly.

"I should tell you, I saw the imp today. He's in no condition to be making spells for anyone. You'd likely end up turned into a toad."

Emma's eyes grew wide, and she gasped.

"I'm kidding, Princess," Regina sighed. She wasn't really, though. She doubted Rumple's mind was in the state to make a functioning potion at the moment. Snow would marry her daughter off for nothing.

"The engagement was called off today," Emma confirmed. Of course, Regina already knew this, but she was pleased at the way Emma worded it, opting not to say her parents called off the engagement. She wanted the girl to forget she had parents waiting for her when she was here.

"Well, my darling, that calls for a celebration, wouldn't you say?" Regina asked, flicking her wrist and producing two goblets of wine before her, handing one to Emma. "A toast? To your freedom?"

Emma started at the liquid in the goblet. "Wine?" she asked, nervously.

"Yes, Princess. You've never tried it?" Regina pressed.

Emma shook her head as she studied the wine in front of her.

"Well, today is a day of firsts for you, my dear. Drink up, it's a celebration," Regina insisted, smiling as she watched Emma sip from the goblet. Her smile widened as she watched the girl's face twist up in distaste for the wine. "It's an acquired taste."

Emma took another long sip, despite the taste, not wanting to offend her hostess. It earned her another smile from Regina, white teeth looking almost ominous against dark red lips, but Emma didn't seem to notice.

* * *

After dinner, Regina brought Emma to her bed chambers, and sent the girl into her room to change. She re-emerged donning a silky off white dress with long, loose sleeves, and silver beading around the waist line.

"Come, Princess," Regina beckoned from the balcony, where she stood in a tight, red velvet dress, with a full black lace back. Emma drew in a deep breath, taking in the feminine figure. She had never seen Regina in anything so formed to her figure before, or revealing quite so much skin, and the woman was breath-taking.

"Emma?" Regina asked, looking at the girl in confusion, as she stood staring at her. "Come here."

Emma walked over to Regina's waiting arms, and Regina enveloped her, pressing her front up against Emma's back, so they could look out over the courtyard and into the woods together.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Regina mused.

Emma nodded, speechless. The sight was awe-inspiring. Her own view from the balcony in her bedroom at the White Palace was obstructed by the walls. She had never seen anything like this before.

"This is – was - my Kingdom," Regina explained, the melancholy not quite hidden in her voice. "You mother took that from me. One day, I will take it back, with you by my side, my princess."

"I don't understand," Emma said.

"I know, my little swan," Regina said, raising a hand to smooth Emma's silky hair. "But one day, you will."

 _One day, we will rule side by side: The Evil Queen and her Dark Princess._

 _And then the Kingdom will learn what true suffering is._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

Unconsciously, Emma leaned back against Regina as they stood on the balcony looking out over the Kingdom. She tried to ignore the feeling of Regina's breasts against her back, knowing that it was wrong for a princess and a _lady_ to enjoy such things. But Regina was intoxicating in every way, and Emma couldn't help that it was drawing out strange feelings inside her.

Maybe Regina was spurning more than one type of magic inside her.

No one had ever touched her like this, so intimately, save for her parents and that was different. No one else had taken such a keen interest in her, and it left Emma feeling confused. Even Prince Michael hadn't given her so much as a second glance when they'd been introduced, and she was intended to marry him.

What kind of man doesn't even look at his future wife? Then again, he wasn't a man, he was a _boy_. And Emma was a girl. But Regina, she was a woman. She was strong and confident and self-assured and when she looked in Emma's eyes it gave her butterflies in her stomach.

Emma was inexperienced with feelings like this, but she was still fairly sure what she was feeling wasn't exactly appropriate. This woman was supposed to be her step-grandmother, after all, even if she did strangely look _younger_ than Emma's actual mother.

And perhaps that was the only reason that she was interested in Emma. She had to wonder if everything Regina had said about her mother was true. Was it really her fault that Emma had never had the chance to grow up with Regina as her family? Her parents had insisted that the walls were to protect Emma from the Evil Queen, and yet here she was, and as far as she could tell, this Queen was anything but evil. And it left Emma questioning everything.

"What are you thinking, Princess?" Regina's hypnotic voice cut through Emma's thoughts; that voice she had heard her entire life through the mirror.

"I was thinking that I like it here. With you," Emma said, shyly.

"You do?" Regina sounded surprised. Emma supposed she wasn't used to people wanting to be around her, due to her reputation, and it made Emma feel a little bad for the woman. If only the people could see what she was really like. Then they wouldn't be so quick to condemn her.

"Yes." Emma nodded, breathing in deeply. She barely noticed that Regina was tracing light circles on her abdomen with the fingers of one hand, while the other arm was still wrapped tightly around her ribs, holding her close.

"I like having you here," Regina cooed, making Emma smile. Her smile quickly turned into a yawn as she felt her eyelids starting to get heavy. The sun was almost set, she could just barely see the glow over the horizon now, and she was suddenly so tired.

"Hmm, getting sleepy, Little One?" Regina observed. Emma just nodded. Regina squeezed her a little tighter. "It's been a long day for you. Perhaps it's bed time?"

Emma nodded again, and let Regina lead her by hand into her bedroom, off of Regina's bedroom. She still thought the set-up was rather odd, and she didn't like that the only way out was through Regina's bedroom, but she was slowly beginning to accept that Regina wasn't a danger to her.

Emma's eyelids were becoming so heavy. She couldn't remember the last time she was this exhausted.

"Perhaps the wine is getting to you," Regina commented, as though she were reading Emma's thoughts. "Or the magic. It takes a lot of energy to summon magic, Emma. Let me help you."

Emma just nodded. She didn't realize what Regina had meant by 'let me help you' until she felt her hands lifting up her dress. Unconsciously, Emma raised her arms, allowing Regina to slip the dress right off of her. Emma had been dressed and undressed a thousand times by servants in the White Palace, but it seemed strange to her to have a queen tending to her like this. Then again, Regina wasn't a queen. Not anymore.

"Such a good girl," Regina cooed, as Emma felt a hand brush across the bare skin on her abdomen, giving her chills. She only then realized that she had her eyes closed, and she was standing naked, save for her panties, in front of the queen. But she was calm. And relaxed. She almost wondered if Regina had somehow put her in a trance.

Moments later, she felt Regina slipping a nightgown over her head, and then fingers weaving their way through her hair. "Would you like me to tell you a bedtime story?"

Emma smiled and nodded, and Regina took her by the hand again, and led her to the chaise in her own bed chambers. She sat down, and pulled Emma down with her, letting her snuggle up against her as she stroked her hair again.

"Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess," she started.

Emma smiled. "Was it me?"

Regina laughed. "No dear. Just listen to the story."

"Sorry."

"Once upon a time, there lived a princess, only this princess didn't grow up in a palace. She grew up in a prison. It didn't look like a prison from the outside, and if anyone had to guess, they'd think she led a privileged life. But the truth was, the princess was being held captive by her own mother. The mother didn't use chains or locks to hold the princess in, but fear and magic."

Emma stiffened up at the idea of a mother using magic on her own daughter. In her limited experience, she thought all mothers were wonderful and loving to their daughters, as her own mother had been.

"One day, the princess met a boy and they fell in love. They were even going to get married, but they were going to have to do so in secret, because the boy was just a stable boy. The princess's mother never would have approved, and if she found out, do you know what she would have done?"

Emma shook her head, no.

"She would have killed the boy."

"She would kill the boy her daughter loved?" Emma asked, in disbelief.

"Yes. So one day, the princess and the stable boy were meeting in secret, when they heard screaming. The princess saw that a young girl's horse had gone wild, and the little girl was in danger, so the princess got on her own horse and saved the little girl. As it turned out, the little girl was also a princess and her father was a king. And do you know how the king wanted to thank the princess for saving his daughter?"

Emma shook her head again.

"He asked her to marry him."

Emma frowned. She didn't like where this story was going, and it was starting to remind her an awful lot of the story her mother had told her of how she and Regina had met. Her mother hadn't mentioned a stable boy, but the rest seemed to fit.

"Of course, the princess didn't want to marry the king because she was in love with the stable boy, and she and the boy planned to run away together. There was one problem though. When the princess kissed the stable boy, the little brat princess she had saved saw everything and ran off to tell her father. Now _our_ princess managed to reach the little brat before she could, and the little brat promised to keep her secret. But, she lied."

"She lied? She told the king anyway?" Emma asked.

"Worse. She told the princess's magic mother. And remember what I told you the mother would do?"

"Kill him."

"That's right. And that's what she did. And the princess couldn't do anything but watch while she crushed his heart. He died, all because a little brat made a promise she couldn't keep."

"She never told me that," Emma whispered.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"My mother."

"Oh, so she told you this story, did she?" Regina asked.

"Not all of it. Only the part where you saved her," Emma admitted.

"I see. Well, I suppose you know how the story ends, then," Regina sighed.

"I'd still like to hear your side."

Regina smiled. "One day, princess. Not tonight. You can barely keep your eyes open, and you're far too innocent to even understand some of the things that happened."

Emma sighed and closed her eyes as Regina made light circles on her back with her hands. She wondered if Regina was going to send her to bed or just let her sleep right there with her head on her chest. She wasn't even sure which she would prefer at this moment.

No, that wasn't exactly true.

She knew she would prefer to stay in Regina's arms, and that thought just confused her even more. She barely knew this woman… but then again, she did. Regina had been watching over her and talking to her through her mirror for as long as Emma could remember. The physical touch was new, but Regina's presence had always been a part of her life.

So maybe that's why this felt so natural, like being held by her mother…. and, at the same time, nothing at all like being held by her mother.

And so she drifted off to sleep in Regina's warm embrace, her cheek resting comfortably against the soft velvet of Regina's dress, the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathed lulling Emma into sleep.

And she dreamed. She dreamed she was ten years old and riding a horse that was running wild, and she was saved by a younger, more innocent looking Regina. And Regina asked her to keep her secret, and she did.

When Emma's eyes fluttered open, it was still dark. She couldn't have been asleep more than an hour or so, she guessed. She was still lying on Regina, who was also now asleep. Emma propped herself up on one elbow to look at the woman. She resisted the urge to trace her features with her finger, the way she would through the mirror when she was a child.

Regina really was beautiful. Her mother had always described her as beautiful and sad, but Regina didn't look sad to Emma. Emma wondered if maybe her presence really did make Regina happy.

Emma glanced around the room, and the first thing she noticed was that the door to Regina's bedchambers was still slightly ajar. Emma wondered if perhaps Regina hadn't intended to fall asleep with her, because she found the open door to be quite odd.

Quite odd, and oddly compelling as well.

Emma had always been something of an explorer. She had charted every inch of her own palace with Seth. There wasn't much else to do when one couldn't go anywhere. There were only so many places to visit within the courtyard.

But Regina's palace was thousands and thousands of feet of unchartered territory, and Emma could feel her curiosity springing to life. What harm could come from a little exploration? After all, Regina _wanted_ her here, so it stood to reason that she would be alright with Emma looking around and getting a feel for the palace. Emma parents had always encouraged her curiosity, and Regina had been nothing but kind to her thus far.

Emma moved as stealthily as she could, and untangled her body from Regina's limbs without waking the queen. She tiptoed across the stone floor silently in her bare feet and peaked out the door. No guards. There was no one at all around. Emma was in the clear.

She headed out into the hall and began to wander. This palace wasn't warm and inviting like her own, and it amazed Emma that her mother had actually grown up here. How could she stand it? It was cold and dark and menacing. She had to feel bad for Regina being cooped up here for the last fifteen years alone. She had to wonder if her mother's banishing her had been too cruel. Certainly Regina didn't deserve that, and Emma was sure the rumours of Regina's crimes against the kingdom had been _greatly_ exaggerated.

Emma turned down a hallway that looked exactly like the one she had just been in. This exploration expedition was a bit of a letdown thus far. Everywhere Emma looked there were just stone walls, stone floor and dimly lit sconces on the wall.

She turned down another hall and sighed. More of the same.

Every hallway she came to looked just like the last one and she was starting to realize this castle was more of a maze than a home. She wondered if she should just give up this silly trek and go back to Regina's room.

And then the realization hit her: she had no idea where she was. She spun around looking from one side of the hallway to the other, and both ends were identical. She couldn't remember where she had come from and suddenly she was remembering Regina telling her that it was possible to get lost for days on end in this palace. Emma hoped that wasn't true.

She wanted to cry.

On a whim, she chose a direction and took off running, hoping that would help her cover more ground in less time. She turned down another hallway that was identical to the last one, and felt the tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. She silently chastised herself for leaving the room at all. What would happen if Regina woke up and realized she was missing? Would she be furious?

What if she didn't even find Emma? What if she was lost in the palace for so long that she starved to death in one of these hallways?

Emma couldn't let herself think like that.

She continued down hallway after hallway but she couldn't find the open door to Regina's bedchambers. She stopped running and fell back against the wall, tearing flowing freely now. She felt like she'd been running forever but she was no closer to being back. For all she knew, she had been running in circles this whole time. She slid down the wall and landed on the floor, immediately drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly as she cried.

She wanted to be home so badly right now. She wanted to run into her parents' bed and snuggle in between them. She knew she was far too old for that sort of thing now, but her mother never made her feel badly about it, she just soothed her and rubbed her back until she fell asleep.

Emma let her mind wander to thoughts of Regina's mother, the woman who Regina claimed made her a prisoner of fear and magic. It occurred to Emma that if the rumours about the Evil Queen were true, it shouldn't be surprising considering the unfortunate way Regina was raised. What kind of mother would torment a daughter like that?

"There you are." Emma was snapped back to reality at the sound of Regina's voice above her. She hadn't even heard her approach. There was something different in her voice now, something sinister that reminded her of the way she had spoken when Emma had mentioned her mother earlier that day. Something dark and unforgiving. And Emma knew she had angered the queen.

She jumped up quickly. She was no stranger to causing mischief and she was fairly confident in her own ability to talk herself out of punishment. "Regina, I'm sorry, I just wanted to look around and I got lost trying-"

Emma was cut off by an abrupt and unexpected slap across her cheek that sent her reeling. No one had ever hit her before, and the shock almost stopped the pain from even registering.

Almost.

Emma's hand went to her cheek the moment the searing pain set in, and a fresh batch of tears started streaming from her eyes. For her part, Regina didn't even seem to notice as she grabbed Emma's arm in a painfully tight grip and dragged her back down the hall. One turn, and they were back at Regina's bedchambers. Emma couldn't believe she had been this close.

Regina didn't say a word as she dragged Emma across the room to the door to her own bedroom and pushed her inside. Emma gasped as she fell to her hands and knees, and it took her a moment to regain her equilibrium and get back to her feet.

She looked around. The once simple but beautifully furnished room was now bare. The bed and dressers and vanity were gone, and all that remained was a rug on the floor and the bars on the windows. She spun around to face Regina, confused.

"If you are going to act like an ungrateful brat in my home, then you will suffer the consequences," Regina stated, matter-of-factly, before slamming the door.

It only took Emma a moment to realize that the door handle had been removed as well, and she was now locked in this empty room. Regina had promised her she wouldn't be locked in. She threw herself against the heavy wooden door and slammed her fists against it repeatedly, as hard as she could. If Regina could hear her, she made no acknowledgement of it, and Emma gave up.

She stepped over to the window and looked outside. It was still pitch dark, but she knew her parents were coming to get her by lunchtime tomorrow. She wished she could see the White Palace from here, but at the same time, she was glad she couldn't, as it might just make her miss her parents more.

Emma dragged the rug over to the window and laid down on the floor. Never in her life had she been forced to sleep on the floor like a dog, and yet here she was. Only a few hours ago she had been curled up on the chaise with the queen, and now she was locked up like a common prisoner.

And Emma started to wonder if this was really worth it. Maybe she would have been better off taking her chances with Prince Michael.

How could she have let herself be tricked like this? She should have known Regina didn't earn the title of Evil Queen for nothing. She wondered if it was too late to get out of this deal. Rumplestiltskin owed the King of the Silver Kingdom a favour, and maybe there would be a way to get him to cash it in to save Emma from this arrangement.

Of course, that would mean she had to marry the prince.

But then again, she had learned today that she had magic. Maybe she could find a way to protect herself. She reached up to grab the swan pendant around her neck. It was still cool to the touch. She reached around the chain trying to find the clasp to remove it, but she couldn't find one anywhere.

She sat up and felt the chain with both hands. No clasp. How was that possible? Regina had clasped it on her neck. The chain was fine and Emma was sure she could just break it off, but when she tried, she found it was impossible. The chain cut into her skin as she tried to pull on it, and it seemed to be as strong as steel.

She laid back down on the rug and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will herself to sleep. The sooner she slept, the sooner morning would come, and the sooner her parents would be here to get her. And then they could start figuring out a plan to get out of this arrangement. She knew once she told them what Regina had done, they wouldn't tolerate it for a second. Regina might have magic, but her parents had vast numbers of allies, and she was sure this was a battle they could win.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

The moment Regina slammed Emma's door, she regretted her over-reaction. She leaned her back against the hard wood and cringed as she listened to Emma's fists pounding on the other side. Any progress she had made thus far would surely be lost now.

In truth, it wasn't even Emma she was angry with, it was herself, for leaving the door open and for falling asleep with the girl in her room. And it wasn't like the girl could even _go_ anywhere, not with the spell she had placed on the hallways to cause anyone wandering without her permission to become lost.

Regina sighed, and cursed her own impulsiveness and temper. She had thought her time alone in the palace had taught her patience, but she realized now that was only because she'd had no choice _but_ to be patient.

Having the spawn of Snow White in her home was trying as it was, as Emma reminded her so much of the insipid brat that had ruined her life. Panic had set in when she discovered Emma missing as her mind had raced with a hundred different ideas of how that child could be double-crossing her somehow.

 _That child. She's a goddamn CHILD._ Regina breathed a heavy sigh when the reality of how completely ridiculous she was being. Even if Emma had any intentions of betraying her, she wouldn't succeed anyway. She couldn't get out of the hallways to _go_ anywhere, and even if she knew how to use her magic, Regina had complete control over that now too, via the enchanted necklace.

Regina crossed the room to her mirror and brought Emma into view. She was on the floor on the rug trying in vain to remove her necklace. Regina smirked. She didn't have a hope in hell of getting that necklace off of her neck, not with the spell Regina had placed on it.

Regina watched as Emma curled back up on the rug on the floor, and tried not to let it get to her. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't go back on the punishment she'd doled out, or Emma was going to think she was weak. She waved the image away from the mirror and changed into her own nightgown. She crawled into her own bed, deciding that sleep would help. Everything would be different in the morning.

But she couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned and couldn't get her mind off the girl in the other room. Her thoughts raced as she thought about the potential in Emma's magic, or the way her body had looked when Regina helped her change into her nightgown. She knew the girl was still too young –well, not really, but Regina knew she would never overcome the guilt of stealing Emma's innocence at the age of fifteen. Mostly, though, she thought of how comfortably Emma fit into her arms, like she belonged there. Nothing since Daniel had ever felt natural in Regina's life… not until Emma.

And now, it might all be ruined.

After an hour of not being able to sleep, Regina couldn't take it anymore. She got up and walked over to Emma's door. She cracked it open and peeked inside. Emma was sleeping, curled up on the rug by the window.

Regina sighed and walked over to her. Crouching down, she ran her fingers over Emma's shoulders down her back. Emma jumped, and blinked up at Regina, clearly confused and looking more than a little apprehensive.

"Come," Regina said, holding her hand out for Emma to take. Emma's eyes grew wide in apparent fear, and she didn't move a muscle, just continued to stare at Regina.

"You'd prefer to sleep on the floor, then?" Regina asked, tersely, before withdrawing her outstretched hand. "Very well."

"No! Wait, please!" Emma cried out as Regina stood. Emma quickly scrambled to her feet and came face to face with Regina.

For a moment, Regina considered just wiping Emma's memories of the past few hours. She could return her bedroom to its previous state, and convince the girl she was sleepwalking as she returned her to bed. Then nothing would be ruined.

But she reconsidered. She knew at some point she was likely to lose control again. She couldn't just erase Emma's memories every single time she flew off the handle. Emma was just going to have to learn to accept the bad with the good, if she wanted to be there.

Not that it would matter if she didn't, anyway.

Regina held out her hand again, and this time, Emma took it, albeit it very timidly. Regina could feel the girl trembling and she led her back into her own bedroom.

Once she brought Emma into the room, she flicked a hand to magically light one of the sconces, and lifted her other hand to Emma's chin, tilting her cheek into the light.

"I didn't even leave a mark," Regina commented. "Hardly worth all the tears and dramatics."

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered.

Regina smiled thinly as she stroked Emma's cheek. Perhaps all was not lost, after all. She had been right about the girl being eager to please, but it disturbed her that Emma was so quick to relent. "You are forgiven," Regina sighed, as she took Emma's hand again and led her over to the bed. "It's very late, princess. Time to get some sleep."

"You want me to sleep in your bed?" Emma asked, her eyes wide.

Regina sighed. "Magic takes energy, and I'm just too exhausted to bring your bed back," she lied. She wasn't that tired, at all. She could have easily brought Emma's bed back, but she had a hell of a lot of damage control to do.

Emma's wary eyes didn't leave Regina's as she stepped around the side of the bed and tentatively pulled back the covers, still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Regina was unpredictable, to say the least, and Emma wasn't really sure what was happening right now.

Regina studied the young princess as she finally crawled into the bed, and extinguished the lone sconce before finally joining her. Only the moonlight through the large window illuminated their faces now, as they each lay on their sides, facing each other.

It was Regina who spoke first, when it was quite obvious that Emma had no intention of closing her eyes and going to sleep. "I hope you understand why I reacted the way I did," she said.

Emma furrowed her brow in confusion. "Not really, no," she admitted.

"It frightened me when I awoke to find you missing. I told you before you could easily become lost in the palace, and that's why you shouldn't be wandering alone at night. Since I found you crying on the floor, I would assume it's safe to say you did become lost." Regina knew for a fact that the girl was indeed lost. There was no possible way she couldn't have been.

"You were frightened so you punished me?" Emma asked, still not quite sure what Regina was trying to tell her.

Regina just blinked a few times, at a loss for what to say now. "Go to sleep, Emma," she said, finally.

But still, Emma made no attempt to sleep. She seemed to be studying Regina's face intently, and Regina found it rather unnerving how her deep green eyes seemed to see right through her. It was as though Emma could see through every mask and every layer, right down to her core, and that terrified her more than anything.

And Emma's mind was working, trying to piece together all the clues she had discovered today. She was ever searching for a mystery, or an adventure, something to _do_ with her time and her mind. She had wanted to explore the palace, but she was now coming to realize that there was much more to be explored in Regina, herself.

She thought again about Regina's reaction, and how she had not only physically punished her with the slap to the face – which hurt a lot more than she was ever going to admit, since Regina seemed to think she was being over dramatic – but she had also used magic to punish her. Magic and fear. Emma thought back to the bedtime story Regina had told her just hours ago.

She knew she should just close her eyes and go to sleep, but she couldn't quiet her ever-curious mind. She needed answers.

"Did your mother ever do that to you?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

Regina inhaled sharply, as the question took her by surprise. "Do what, dear?" she asked, though she knew very well what Emma was referring to.

"Take your things away and lock you in a room? With magic?" Emma elaborated.

"She did far worse," Regina said. Those four words filled Emma's mind with a million more questions to ask, but Regina's tone had an unmistakably dismissive finality to it, and Emma knew the conversation was over. At least for tonight.

"Good night, Regina," Emma said, finally. "I'll be better behaved tomorrow." She still didn't believe that she had done anything wrong, and her words were simply to appease the Queen, lest she agitate her into a raging fury again tonight.

"Such a good girl," Regina smiled, stroking Emma's cheek with the back of her hand. "Sleep well, my little swan."

* * *

As a result of the turbulent night, they slept later than Regina would have liked. When she awoke, the sun was already fairly high in the sky, and she knew it was almost noon. She didn't have much time before Snow White would return to her daughter. She glanced at Emma who was still sleeping soundly, and shook her lightly until she woke.

"Good morning, princess," Regina said, with a smile.

Emma blinked at her a few times, trying to wake herself up fully. She was confused, trying to remember why she was sleeping in the Queen's bed. There was a dull ache in her jaw, and in mere moments, the memories of the night before flooded back to her. "Good morning," she whispered back.

Regina reached over to brush some stray golden locks back behind Emma's ear, before trailing her hand lightly over Emma's cheek. It was a little pink, and Regina could distinctly see her handprint there. Perhaps she had stuck the girl harder than necessary – certainly harder than she had realized. She couldn't send her home with a mark on her, so she let her magic heal Emma's skin.

"Does that feel better?" she asked, as she trailed her hand down the side of Emma's neck, over her shoulder, and down her arm until she found her hand. Emma simply nodded at her while Regina laced her fingers through Emma's. "Good. Now I need to talk to you about something important, before you get ready to go home, alright?"

"Yes." Emma nodded, not sure what to expect. At this point, she'd given up trying to even guess what might come out of Regina's mouth at any time, since nearly everything took her by surprise in one way or another.

"I told you a story about how your mother couldn't keep a secret," Regina started, as her eyes took on an almost frightening intensity. "But I think you are different. I think you can keep a secret. Can you keep a secret, Emma?"

"Yes," Emma nodded, slightly more enthusiastically.

"Good girl. I need you to keep what happened here yesterday a secret. Can you do that for me?"

Emma tensed up at the question. "You mean, my punishment?"

"I mean everything, Emma. I don't want you to tell them anything that happens while you are here," Regina explained.

Emma wasn't sure what to say. She told her parents nearly everything, and she knew they would be asking her what happened the moment she returned to them. How was she supposed to understand what was happening if she couldn't talk to her parents?

"If you need someone to talk to," Regina said, as though she was reading Emma's thoughts. Emma found it disturbing how she seemed to do that quite often. "Talk to Seth. He's a good boy, and he will listen and keep all your secrets. But your parents, they will never understand. Promise me, Emma."

Emma opened and closed her mouth a couple times, unsure of what to say.

"If you can't promise me, I can always put an enchantment spell on your lips, so you can't tell them anything," Regina said, nonchalantly. It bothered Emma how Regina treated magic and Emma's free will so flippantly, and she wondered if that was something else she had learned from her mother. "I just thought you might have liked the opportunity to prove to me what a good girl you are."

"I won't tell them anything," Emma said, suddenly, before her mind could fully process the promise she had just made.

Regina smiled. She knew the girl's eagerness to please would get the best of her, as it usually did. In reality, it didn't really matter to her if Emma could keep the secret or not, since she was fairly sure Snow White would not risk her daughter's life to renege on the deal she had made. But she wanted Snow to fret and wonder what had gone on, and she wanted to test the limits of Emma's loyalty.

She guessed it wouldn't take her long to break, and she figured she would probably be telling her mother everything before sundown that night.

"What if they ask about my necklace?" Emma asked, drawing Regina out of her thoughts.

Regina waved a hand to place a glamour over the necklace. "It's a spell," she explained, before Emma had the chance to ask. "No one will be able to see it except you and I."

Through the window, Regina could see Snow White's carriage arriving, and she sighed.

Emma turned and looked to see what had suddenly upset Regina, and when she saw what it was, she decided to keep her mouth shut.

Emma got changed quickly when Regina sent her back into her re-furnished bedroom, and they headed out together to greet Emma's parents. Regina didn't say a word, and didn't take her eyes off of Snow, as she and Emma approached the magical barrier.

She stopped Emma right in front of the barrier, and turned her by the shoulders to face her. "I had a lovely time with you, princess," Regina cooed, before placing a kiss on Emma's forehead. She smiled to herself when she heard Snow gasp and Charming draw his sword.

 _Idiots._

Regina turned to face Snow, choosing to ignore Charming completely as he stood with his weapon ready to attack, even though her magical protection barrier made it completely useless. "Bring her back in two weeks from today," Regina said, as she gently pushed Emma through the barrier with a hand on the small of her back. "Same time as yesterday. I think I'll keep her a few days longer next time."

"How long?" Charming asked, as Snow pulled her daughter into a tight embrace.

Regina looked at him, feigning surprise, as though she had only now realized he was even there. She gave a dismissive shrug. "I haven't decided yet. Good bye, Emma," she said, before poofing back into the palace in a cloud of purple smoke.

* * *

Regina stood on the balcony of her bed chambers, watching as Snow's carriage took Emma away, and she felt an unexpected pang of loss in her chest. She couldn't explain the feeling, it made absolutely no sense, so she tried to brush it off.

And yet, she still couldn't stop thinking about Emma, and replaying every moment – the good and the bad – over in her mind. She cursed herself for telling them to wait two weeks, but at the same time, she knew she needed time to recollect and regain her patience. She had been too eager, too impulsive, to get Emma back as quickly as possible after making the deal, and she betrayed herself with her over-reaction the night before.

Deep down, she knew it was only a matter of time until something like that would have happened, but she would have preferred it not be on the first night with the girl. It was going to take time to rebuild Emma's trust, but Regina wasn't too worried. She had a secret weapon, after all.

Regina smiled as she pulled Seth's heart out of the protective box she kept it in on her vanity. She may have made mistakes along the way already, but she still had complete control over every word and action of Emma's only friend in the world.

All was not lost.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

Emma squeezed in between her parents inside the pristine White carriage, so happy to finally be returning home after this strange ordeal. She nestled her head into the crook of Snow's neck as they rode. "I missed you so much, Mommy."

Snow wrapped an arm around her daughter to pull her closer, knowing that _Mommy_ was a special name reserved for when Emma was especially upset. All other times, she was Mama, except in formal settings, in which Emma referred to her as Mother, though neither of them particularly cared for that moniker.

"I missed you, too, baby. I was so worried," Snow admitted, squeezing Emma tighter.

"You don't need to be worried," Emma assured her. "The Queen is kind to me."

Snow surveyed her daughter, trying to determine if Emma was telling the truth, or lying for her benefit. Emma's face was serene, and Snow couldn't read the emotion there. It was odd, she thought, since she could normally read her little girl like a book. Or so she had once thought.

Granted, she hadn't picked up on exactly how opposed Emma had been to being betrothed to Prince Michael, but Snow was also well aware that she had her blinders on in that situation. Her only goal had been to ensure her daughter's long term safety, even if it meant a loveless marriage.

But she could have grown to love the prince, couldn't she?

Snow was reminded of the last person she knew who had been forced into marriage against her will, and that had been Regina. But Regina was an anomaly, Snow was sure of that. Normal, well adjusted people do not grow up to be Evil Queens. Regina had to have had the darkness already.

Didn't she?

She guessed it didn't matter now. The engagement had been called off, and Emma would not be forced to marry the prince. Snow did have to wonder, however, how Emma would ever be married now. With the deal she had made with Regina, Snow knew it was the first time it would actually be safe to take Emma outside of the palace walls, but what prince would be interested now? What prince wanted a wife who was all but owned by the Evil Queen? No one would trust Emma or her motives, knowing her affiliation with Regina, but perhaps that was part of Regina's plan all along.

In any event, Emma was fifteen and there was still time to worry about such things in the future, though Snow knew that time was becoming very, very limited.

"What did you do with Regina?" Snow asked, trying her best to sound only interested and not anxious.

"Oh, we… I… I'd rather not talk about that right now, if that's alright?" Emma stammered out.

"I just want to enjoy being here with you and Daddy."

"Alright, baby," Snow agreed. She didn't want to push Emma, but she knew she needed to make her daughter talk to her. She knew how Regina could get inside a person's head, and she needed to make sure Emma wasn't lost to her.

* * *

"Mama?" Emma called, as she tapped on the door to Snow's bedchambers. The door was open, but Emma always announced her arrival anyway, after one too many times catching her parents in compromising situations.

But Snow was alone, and beckoned for Emma to come in and join her. Emma hurried over into her mother's arms, and even though it was still only mid-afternoon, they curled up on Snow's feather bed together.

"Mama, what was Regina like when you first knew her?" Emma asked, as she played absently with the sleeve of Snow's ivory coloured dress.

"I've told you about her before, my love," Snow reminded her.

"Yes, but not much. You've only warned me that she was evil. But she wasn't always, was she? She once saved you," Emma reminded her.

"Yes, she did. She was a different woman then, though, baby. And she worked very hard to snuff out all of the good that was ever in her."

"Do you think that's possible? To snuff out _all_ the good in a person?"

"There was a time I didn't, but now… Emma, I don't want to scare you, but please, I know you said she was kind to you, but don't let your guard down. She's very good at putting on an act, and you need to be mindful of that. Don't take anything she says at face value."

Emma nodded slowly, trying to let that sink in. She was having a hard time reconciling the woman who had rode with her and dined with her and held her until she fell asleep, with the woman who had punished her later that same evening. She was sure there was a lot going on beneath the surface, and if she was to be forced to spend time at the dark palace, she was determined that she would figure out the puzzle that was the Evil Queen.

"Why do you think she changed?"

Snow breathed a heavy sigh. "She lost her true love. That kind of loss, it can wound a person, very deeply. She blames me for it, and there's no room in her heart for forgiveness, sadly, only revenge."

"Did you know her mother?" Emma asked, moving to the point that intrigued her the most about Regina.

"Cora? Oh yes, I knew her for a very short time," Snow nodded.

"What was _she_ like?"

"Pure evil."

"Worse than Regina?"

"In some ways. In many ways, I think Cora is to blame for how Regina turned out. She focused most of her cruelty on Regina, though Regina's crimes far surpass anything her mother has done."

"But you only knew her for a short time?"

Snow nodded. "She just… disappeared… right after Regina married my father. No one knows what happened to her. Well, I believe Regina knows, and I wouldn't doubt that she had something to do with it."

Emma sighed. She wondered if she would get the opportunity to speak with Regina about her mother again, as she was suddenly fascinated with the woman who turned a girl into a monster.

"Mama?" Emma asked again, after a long silence.

"Yes, baby?"

"Where did we get Seth?"

Snow chuckled. "You know where we got him. He came to the palace seeking refuge. You know that."

"But where did he come from?"

"One of the villages. He was young, remember? And he had been on his own for some time, as an orphan. He doesn't remember much of his own history. Why are you asking about Seth?"

"Do you think he's a good boy?" Emma asked, earnestly.

"Yes, darling. You know I love him as if he were my own. He's been like a sibling to you. I thought you two were good friends?"

"We are," Emma agreed. "Well, I think we are. Mama, he told me something. He told me that the Evil Queen was dead. He told me it would be safe to run away."

Snow stiffened at the revelation. "I don't know where he would have gotten such an idea. Perhaps he overheard staff talking, and misunderstood. Emma, you know you should have come to me with your concerns about marrying the prince," Snow said, firmly.

"I know, Mama, and I'm sorry. I was stupid, and now I have to pay the price."

"You're not stupid. And you won't pay a price. I will find a way out of this deal, I promise you that."

* * *

Regina sat on her chaise, watching mother and daughter cuddling through the mirror, with a sneer on her lips.

 _I will find a way out of this deal. I promise you that._

"Well, good luck with that, dear," Regina said aloud, to no one in particular. "But I'm afraid you've already lost this battle."

Regina fiddled idly with the engagement ring in her hand, as she often did when she was thinking.

"Snow is right about one thing," she mused to herself, "there is no room in my heart for forgiveness, not for the insipid little brat who destroyed everything. But Emma won't pay the price Snow, _you_ will."

"Your Majesty?"

Regina jumped at the sound of the genie's voice coming from the mirror behind her. She spun around to look at his blue disembodied head, his face as stoic and emotionless as ever.

"What!" she snapped.

"I thought you'd like to see this," the genie said, letting his visage fade away into an image of a round table meeting, at the Silver Palace. Regina furrowed her brow, and stood up to step closer to this other mirror, and get a better look at what was going on.

"The Queen Snow White, only called off the engagement to protect the princess from the evil sorceress Regina," one of the King's advisors was saying. Regina sneered again at the mention of Snow White's Queen status, a painful reminder of how the little wench and her idiot prince had managed to take the Kingdom back from her, all those years ago.

"She is one person, and a _woman,_ " the King scoffed. "Are you telling me this Kingdom is no match for a _woman_?"

"Sire, she has unbridled power through her magic, and an entire army at her beck and call," the advisor pointed out.

"Yes, and I have a favour to cash in with Rumplestiltskin," the King stated, "and I have no qualms against using it to wage war on the Dark Palace if it will ensure that my son _will_ marry the princess, and our Kingdom will be merged with the White Kingdom."

Regina raised an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn't expected any retaliation from the Silver Kingdom, least of all a _war._ She smirked at the King's pompous attitude, thinking that the imp could help him with _anything_. She debated poofing herself right into his meeting room and roasting him on the spot, just to make a point, but decided it wasn't worth the energy.

Let them start a war. She was infinitely more powerful now than she had been when Snow had waged war against her all those years ago. And smarter, too. She wasn't about to be taken down by fairy dust again.

She waved the image away, before returning to her bedchambers to sleep.

* * *

 _Regina's standing in the wake in the middle of a battlefield. She doesn't remember the battle, but there are knights down everywhere, and several of them are hers. But she's not concerned with the knights. She's focused on a figure in the distance, all blonde hair and a pretty lavender dress, laying on the ground._

 _Emma!_

 _The front of her dress is quickly turning crimson red and Regina realises she's hurt. She wants to run to her but she can't. Her legs aren't moving; it's like she's glued in place._

 _Emma!_

 _She tries to scream to her, but her mouth won't form the words. Snow White is running, from the other direction, towards the girl on the ground, and for once, Regina is happy to see her._

 _She'll save her daughter. She has to._

" _Emma!" Snow cries, cradling her daughter close to her. "No! Emma!"_

 _And Regina realizes it's too late. It's all over._

Regina shot up in bed, her heart pounding. Tears were streaming from her eyes unchecked, and it took her several minutes to calm herself down and realize that it was just a nightmare.

She wiped the sweat from her brow, missing the years off dreamless sleep she had come to embrace and even enjoy. She hugged herself tightly and flicked on wrist to bring Emma's bedroom into view on the mirror across from her bed.

The princess was sleeping soundly, and Regina breathed a long sigh of relief.

It was just a dream.

* * *

The next two weeks passed excruciatingly slow for Regina. She divided her time between watching the Silver King - who had yet to make any attempt to actually call in his deal with Rumple, and thus was no closer to this war he planned on waging - and watching Emma. To Regina's surprise, Emma kept her promise and told her parents nothing of what had occurred on their first night together.

To her dismay, she didn't talk to Seth about it either. Regina wondered how long it would take the girl to trust him again, or if she ever would at all. She had been hoping on learning what Emma thought about it and about her through Seth, but the revelation never came.

And she had the same nightmare again, three more times. It was always exactly the same: Emma died, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Once two weeks had passed, Regina stood in wait, just inside her magical barrier, as the White carriage pulled up, right on schedule. Regina smiled thinly as Emma emerged from the carriage, accompanied by both of her parents.

As they approached the barrier, Charming stopped Emma just before she got within arms reach of Regina.

"How long do you plan on keeping her?" Charming asked, eyeing Regina distrustfully.

"A week," Regina said, nonchalantly.

Emma's mouth dropped open in shock. "A week?" she repeated. She hadn't expected that. She'd thought two, maybe three days, at the most.

"Yes, darling, I have so much planned for us. Now, come here and stop wasting my time," Regina said, holding her hand out, motioning for Emma to step closer so she could pull her through the barrier.

Emma looked at her father, unsure of what she should do, but Charming just sighed, knowing that they had no choice but to concede to Regina's request. It would only take a moment for Regina to drop her magical shield and roast Emma on the spot, if they refused to comply.

"Go ahead, sweetheart," Charming said. "We will be back here in one week, at this exact time." The second part was directed at Regina, who just continued to smile as she pulled Emma through the barrier.

"Lovely to see you again, dear," Regina said, looking pointedly at Snow. "Have a good week."

For her part, Snow said nothing to Regina, just said her goodbyes to Emma, before turning back to her carriage, knowing that if she stayed a moment longer, she wouldn't be able to force herself to leave.

"Come, darling," Regina said, putting her arm around Emma and leading her toward the palace, "I have so much planned for us."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

Emma glanced back over her shoulder to watch her parents' carriage set off. Two weeks had seemed like a long time when she had left the Dark Palace, but now that she was back, it seemed like it had passed by in a heartbeat.

"Don't look at your parents," Regina hissed, before catching her tone and correcting herself. "We have so much to talk about, Emma. I've missed you. Did you miss me?"

Emma turned to look at the Queen, who was smiling at her, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes, and Emma had the sinking feeling she wasn't being honest. "I, um," Emma stammered, not quite sure how to answer the question. "I thought about you."

Regina's smile widened, and Emma guessed her answer must have been deemed acceptable. At least she hadn't angered the Queen yet. She was determined to try to avoid a repeat of her last visit - especially if she was to spend an entire week here.

"Good," Regina said, beaming her approval, as they continued the long walk out to the stables. Emma wasn't dressed for riding and she wasn't really ready to get back on a horse yet, so she hoped that wasn't Regina's intention for their afternoon.

"Now, tell me princess, what did you tell your parents of our last visit?" Regina asked, sounding only mildly interested.

"Nothing," Emma replied. And it really was true, she hadn't really told them anything, just as the Queen had requested.

"Nothing? Really? I'm impressed. I expected you would be the type to tell Mommy everything."

Emma looked at Regina in surprise. "But you asked me not to."

"I did," Regina agreed. "And it would appear you listen much better than your mother ever did. You're such a good girl. I have a surprise for you."

Emma bit her lip, wondering what sort of surprise Regina could possibly have in store for her. Whatever it was, she was sure she wasn't going to want it.

"Come inside," Regina instructed, as they reached the large stable and she pulled open the door. Emma caught sight of Diablo right away, and avoided him, remembering how terrifying their ride had been. There were a few other, smaller, horses, but Regina led Emma right past them, all the way back to the last stall.

"Look inside," Regina said, smiling widely as she urged Emma closer to the door. Emma put her hands on the stall door and peeked over, gasping when she saw a tiny foal, perfectly white with a long flaxen tail and matching mane. The foal turned his head and to look back at her, and Emma laughed when she noticed the single beige patch around her left eye.

"He's only three days old," Regina commented, reaching forward to stroke the tiny horse on his soft cheek. "His mother is quite a prize, and he will grow into a fine horse, I'm sure. Do you like him?"

"Yes, he's beautiful," Emma grinned, nodding enthusiastically. "What's his name?"

"You tell me. He's yours," Regina replied, simply.

"Really?" Emma gasped, her eyes growing wide in surprise. She'd never owned a horse before - she'd never owned any animal before - and she wasn't expecting this.

"Yes, darling. I know the larger horses make you nervous, and I thought if you could help raise a young one, you might feel more comfortable around them," Regina explained.

Truthfully, she knew there was still a fair amount of damage control to be done, in order to win back Emma's trust, but she was sure this gesture couldn't hurt. Emma's smile told her she was at least on the right track.

"Thank you, Regina, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, darling. Seeing you happy makes me happy," Regina said, holding out her arms. She was relieved when Emma eagerly accepted her embrace, falling against her and hugging her back tightly.

Regina thought perhaps the damage was not severe as she had feared. Perhaps Emma felt as strong a pull to her, as she did to Emma.

She hoped she was right, since she would need Emma on her side for what was coming.

Regina stroked one hand lightly up and down Emma's back, while the other arm was firmly wrapped around Emma's shoulders, holding the girl securely against her. "I'm sorry for what happened last time you were here, my little swan," Regina breathed against Emma's hair. "I don't want you to be afraid of me. I just want you to be my princess."

Emma stiffened, still unsure of exactly what Regina meant by that. Either way, she liked _this_ Regina, and this was the Regina she would prefer to spend a week with. "I'm not afraid of you," Emma said, finally.

* * *

Regina spent some time that afternoon teaching Emma how to care for her new pet. By the time they were done, Emma still hadn't thought of a suitable name, but Regina assured her it would come to her in time, and not to fret.

Despite having no interest in horses previously, Emma could feel herself quickly becoming attached to the little colt, and she supposed horses were really not all that bad. She also supposed having her horse here would actually give her a reason to look forward to coming to the Dark Palace, instead of dreading it.

As the afternoon wore on, Regina finally told Emma it was time to say goodbye to her horse for now, as she informed her that they had a dinner to attend.

"What dinner?" Emma asked, confused. She couldn't imagine anyone in the Kingdom who would invite Regina to a dinner.

"At the Silver Palace," Regina said, nonchalantly, as they headed toward the castle.

Emma stopped dead in her tracks and spun around to face Regina. "Why? Why would we go there?"

"Hush, child," Regina sighed. "Don't fret. The King would like to discuss the terms of a treaty with me. Did you know he wishes to start a war?"

Emma bit her bottom lip. She had heard hushed talks about a possible war brewing, but her mother had insisted that there was no merit to it. She _insisted_ that King Markus of the Silver Kingdom would not be foolish enough to start a war with Regina, but Emma had overheard her parents mentioning the King's favour from Rumplestiltskin when they thought she wasn't listening.

Regina ignored Emma's silence and continued. "If he wishes to start a war, then he is a bigger idiot than I thought."

"He wants to force me to marry his son," Emma said, quietly.

"I am aware," Regina sighed, as she put an arm around Emma's shoulders and turned her back in the direction of the castle, and started walking again, leading her inside the main entrance. "I can assure you, I'm not about to let you suffer the same fate as I did."

The revelation took Emma by surprise. She hadn't expected Regina to make another telling statement so soon. "Because you were forced to wed my grandfather," Emma acknowledged, quickly realizing she might have an in to get some more information from Regina, perhaps another piece of the puzzle. "What was he like?"

Of course Emma had heard all about her grandfather from her mother, from Snow's earliest memories, to her father's mysterious death, but she wanted to hear Regina's side in all of this. She was growing more and more curious as to exactly what made this woman tick.

But it only took a moment to realized she'd made a mistake in asking. Regina's face went dark - darker than Emma had ever seen - as the woman pursed her lips and her eyes became black orbs of sinister darkness.

"Listen to me right now," Regina said, her voice dripping with venom, harsher than Emma had ever heard it, even after she had gotten lost in the hallways on her last visit and sent Regina into a fiery rage. "I told you not to mention your mother to me, and you have, several times. I have forgiven those transgressions, but mark my words, girl, if you ever, _ever_ , ask me about your grandfather again, I will not be so lenient. Do I make myself clear?"

Emma gaped at Regina, her mouth dropping open and her eyes going wide. Her mother had told her that her grandfather had been a loving, caring, gentle man and a good, strong King. Regina's reaction seemed to imply much the opposite, and Emma had no idea why.

This was one mystery she thought might be best left alone.

"I, I…" Emma stammered, Regina's hard eyes still boring though her, "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'll never do it again, I promise!"

As quickly as her face had changed before, Regina's features softened again, and a small, forced smile replaced her former sneer. "Good," she said, curtly, her voice still terrifyingly cold. "Get changed for dinner. I gave you lots of pretty dresses, make yourself look nice. We leave shortly and I will not be kept waiting."

Emma nodded, and when Regina turned to walk away, Emma ran in the other direction, down the hall, through Regina's bedchambers and into her own, slamming the door shut and leaning back against it, blinking back tears as she looked up the the ceiling, trying to centre herself.

She had no idea what had just transpired inside the Queen's head, but _that_ was a side of Regina she _never_ wanted to see again.

She stepped over to her wardrobe, and examined the selection of dresses that were inside. She'd never really taken much time to look at the clothing Regina had provided her with. The dresses were gorgeous, several were very ornate, with beautiful, intricate patterns and beadings.

They were beautiful.

Too beautiful.

She couldn't wear these to see Prince Michael. She didn't want to look beautiful. She didn't want to draw his attention. She didn't want him to look at her. She didn't want him to want her.

She rifled through the dresses until she saw one that caught her eye. It was different than the others. It was a deep purple velvet, with long sleeves that had black lace accents around the wide cuffs. There was also black lace over the otherwise open back.

This didn't look like a dress for a princess. This looked like a dress for a Queen; perhaps even

an Evil Queen.

And Emma was enticed.

She knew her mother would never allow her to wear such a thing, but her mother wasn't here, and she supposed Regina wouldn't have provided it for her if she didn't want her to wear it. What could be the harm in at least trying it on?

She slipped into the dress. It was more form fitting than anything she'd ever worn before. It hugged her curves in all the right places, and when she stood in front of the full length mirror, she couldn't force herself to look away.

She didn't look like a child in that moment. She looked like a woman.

She wasn't filled out in the way that Regina was, but in this dress, she knew she looked much older than fifteen. But it wasn't the ramped-up sex appeal that attracted her to this dress. The dress made her look intimidating. Emma smirked at her own reflection, revelling in what it would feel like to be a Queen, dark and powerful, like Regina.

"Interesting choice," Regina mused, from her place in Emma's doorway.

Emma's head snapped around. She hadn't heard the Queen enter - she'd been too preoccupied admiring herself in this dress. Her face flushed immediately from embarrassment - both at being caught in a moment of unbridled vanity, and at Regina's eyes taking in her figure in this dress.

"But perhaps not appropriate for this evening's affair," Regina continued, walking past Emma, toward the wardrobe to select a more appropriate dress for the meeting at the Silver Palace.

"Of course not," Emma stammered. "I just wanted to see…"

"How it looked?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow as she turned back to Emma, watching her turn an even deeper shade of crimson. "Well, I must say you look absolutely ravishing in that dress, my little swan, but I want to save that one for a special occasion. Put this one on for tonight, darling."

Emma turned to look at the dress Regina had her hands. It was simple, and mint green. It was made of soft satin and Emma could already tell it would fit looser than the one she had on currently. She smiled thinly and took the dress from Regina.

"Leave your hair loose, darling," Regina instructed. "I like it like that. I'll be waiting for you."

With that, Regina handed Emma the dress, and left her alone in her bedchambers to change again, closing the door behind her as she went out.

Emma blinked at the door for a moment, mesmerized by the quick change in Regina - yet again. Gone was the fiery rage and the sinister dark eyes, replaced once again by the sweet, doting Queen that Emma could already feel herself growing fond of.

Emma changed quickly into the green dress, and took a glance at herself in the mirror again. Gone was the sultry vixen in the purple velvet dress, replaced once again by the innocent, wide-eyed, fifteen-year-old princess. She supposed it was for the best, she didn't know how to play the role of vixen anyway. And she certainly didn't want Prince Michael getting any ideas if he were to see her in that dress.

No. This was better. She was sure. But she couldn't help but wonder about what special occasion Regina could possibly have planned for that purple dress. Perhaps she had reconsidered Emma's idea of her hosting a ball at the Dark Palace?

Emma supposed it didn't matter right now. She knew she was stalling, because she wanted to put off going to the Silver Palace. And she knew Regina didn't like to be kept waiting.

She stepped gingerly over to the door, and pushed it open. She noted immediately that Regina had changed as well. She was in a tight burgundy dress with a wide skirt that opened in the front, revealing tight leather pants underneath. Her hair was piled high up on her head, and her make-up was dark and imposing.

Emma drew in a deep breath as she stepped into the room. She'd never seen Regina look the part of the Evil Queen more so than she did in this moment, and it was unsettling, to say the least.

But, to her surprise, Regina smiled when she saw her. "Much better," the Queen cooed, stepping closer to the princess. She brushed a few stray hairs back from Emma's forehead with a perfectly manicured blood red fingernail. "My sweet, innocent, swan princess."

In spite of her nervousness, Emma smiled. She found she liked the Queen's 'swan' nickname for her, and she was pretty sure Regina knew it, too.

"Are you ready to go?" Regina asked, as she gave Emma's appearance one final look over.

"Not really," Emma admitted. "I wish we could just stay here."

"My sweet," Regina sighed, cupping Emma's face in both her hands. "The only reason we are attending this parlay is to ensure that you _can_ stay here, without interference from the Silver Palace. I'm only doing this for you."

Emma bit her lip and nodded. She wasn't exactly sure what threat the Silver Kingdom posed to Regina, with her magic, but she supposed there must be _something_ if Regina was worried enough to meet with King Markus.

"Come, princess, take my hand, and stand close to me," Regina instructed, taking Emma's hand in hers. "We will travel by magic."

Before Emma could even ask what that meant, she saw the cloud of swirling purple envelop both of them. When the smoke cleared, the entrance of the Silver Palace came into view. She had never actually _seen_ the palace, but she knew that's where they were, since King Markus and Prince Michael were standing in the entryway, surrounded by guards and knights.

"Regina," the King drawled, taking a few steps closer, "so lovely of you to join us."

Regina smirked and glanced at Emma, whose hand she was still clinging to tightly, and then back to the King. "Your Majesty," she said, with a mock bow, "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"Well, then let's get started, shall we?" the King asked, turning to lead the way into the palace.

"Come along, little swan, let's not keep the King waiting," Regina said, tugging at Emma's hand, when the girl's feet seemed to lock into place.

Emma swallowed hard and nodded, following Regina as she started to walk, dreading whatever was about to transpire behind the castle walls.


	11. Chapter 11

**Quick warning: Prince Michael gets a little bit handsy with Emma in this chapter, so be aware if you find things like that triggering in any way.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

* * *

"Princess Emma," The King mused, glancing at her as they walked. Regina felt Emma squeeze onto her hand tighter, and looked at her, confused, as the King continued. "Regina failed to inform me that you would be joining us as well, but I must say, it is a pleasant surprise. I know my son is pleased."

Emma chanced a look at Prince Michael who was, in fact, grinning his approval.

"Perhaps we should send the children off to play?" The King suggested, turning his attention to Regina. "They will be bored by our parlay, I am sure."

"Chaperoned, I assume?" Regina asked, to clarify. Prince Michael was seventeen and Regina had no intention of letting Emma anywhere alone with him.

"Of course," the King scoffed, as he signalled to two of his guards. "Guards, accompany Prince Michael and Princess Emma to the atrium."

Emma was about to protest, but Regina stopped her with one look. "Be a good girl and go down to the atrium with the prince. We won't be long, darling. Call me if you need me."

Emma gave Regina a confused look at the last statement, quite sure that she wouldn't hear her call all the way from the atrium if she did need her, but she reluctantly nodded and followed the prince and the guards anyway.

Regina turned and watched her go, utterly perplexed on why the princess suddenly clung to her, but she didn't get much of a chance to think on it, as the King immediately beckoned for her to follow into the meeting hall.

Something suddenly felt off to Regina, but she couldn't put her finger on just what. As the King had requested, she'd arrived with none of her dark knights - not that she thought she needed any as she could protect herself - but she was relieved that she'd already had several of her knights posted and laying in wait around the palace grounds, from the moment the King had first announced his intention of starting a war.

She just hoped the man wasn't as stupid as he appeared to be, because she just wasn't in the mood for a war these days.

Emma chewed on her lip nervously as she followed behind the prince and the two guards. Michael had a smug smirk on his face, that wasn't helping to calm Emma's nerves. She'd never been alone with him, and yet something in her gut told her something was very, very wrong.

Why couldn't Regina meet with the King when Emma was safe at home with her parents? Or, at least, why couldn't Regina have let her sit in on the meeting? Even there, she would have felt safer.

The irony that she felt safer in the presence of the Evil Queen than she did with her former betrothed wasn't lost on Emma as they continued to walk. They walked until they reached a room with large oak doors, which the guards pushed open for the prince. Emma stepped behind him and looked inside.

"This isn't an atrium," Emma observed, as what very clearly was a bedroom came into view.

Prince Michael turned to her and smirked. "My father is a very stupid man who thinks his guards are only obedient to him. Come inside Emma, there's something I want to show you."

Before Emma could react, Michael grabbed her arm and pulled her into the room. She turned and looked back at the guards, both of whom seemed completely oblivious as they stared at the walls in front of them. As soon as Emma was in the room, she heard the doors slam shut, and she knew the guards had shut them. For the first time in her life, she was alone in a room with a boy who wasn't her adopted brother, Seth.

And she was terrified.

"Emma," Michael drawled, "why do you look so nervous?"

"We shouldn't be in here unchaperoned," Emma stated, trying to keep her voice level and not betray how scared she was at the moment.

Michael let out a sharp laugh. "Unchaperoned? If it weren't for that evil witch Regina, we'd be married by now," Michael pointed out, though Emma was quite sure it wouldn't have happened so quickly. "Besides, we're not children anymore, are we? We're a man and a woman and a prince and a princess and no one can tell us what to do."

Emma swallowed hard. "Fine. Then I want to leave this room," Emma said, firmly.

Michael laughed again. "Oh, but I can still tell you what to do. Get used to that, Emma, as I expect my wife to be submissive to me."

"I will never be your wife!" Emma spat at him.

Michael's blue eyes turned dark in an instant, and before Emma even knew what was happening, his hands were on her throat, choking her as he pushed her back against the wall. He was much stronger and several inches taller than her, and her efforts to struggle were useless against him. "The only reason you are not my wife is because your idiot parents made a deal with the sorceress. Once my father has her vanquished, you will be mine. Understand?"

Emma couldn't breathe, and she was starting to see black spots as the Prince choked the air out of her. Her survival instincts kicked in, and she nodded in agreement, in hopes that Michael would let her go.

He removed his hands from her throat as the smile returned to his lips. Emma gulped in air, gasping to try to refill her lungs, and was immediately aware of Michael's hands still on her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, in a pained whisper as she felt Michael lifting up her dress.

"Claiming you," he said, as his hands made their way to her bare thighs under the fabric of the skirt. "You're mine, Emma. You have been betrothed to me and I own you."

"No," Emma whispered, as tears started to roll down her cheeks. Michael removed one hand from under her dress, to press a finger to her lips.

"Don't talk," he said, sternly. "You're ruining the mood."

Emma panicked. Pressed up against the wall with Prince Michael's hand quickly travelling up her thigh, she didn't know what else to do, so she did the only thing she could think of. Regina had said to call if she needed her, and she certainly needed her now.

"Regina!" She screamed as loudly as she could, before the Prince's hand clamped over her mouth.

"Stupid girl," he scoffed. "You really think the witch can hear you from here?"

Tears streamed down Emma's cheeks as the Prince's wandering hand travelled further up her body, under her dress. She tried again to push him off, but he was much stronger than she was, and with her head now firmly held against the wall, there wasn't much she could do as his hand found it's way to her breast. She sobbed as he grabbed at her roughly, and willed Regina to come find her, and roast the Prince on the spot.

This couldn't have been her plan for tonight, could it?

Regina stiffened when she felt Emma's magic desperately calling out for her. They were barely into talks in the treaty, but the desperation Regina felt in Emma's magic could not be ignored.

"Where's Emma?" she asked, cutting the King off mid-sentence.

King Markus narrowed his eyes at Regina. "We're not done here," he pointed out, clearly not appreciating Regina's sudden change of topic.

Regina stood up and began to walk out of the room, trying to hone in on the direction of Emma's magic.

"Regina," the King called after her, calmly but firmly. "We are not finished. Please sit down."

Regina glanced at the King's knights who were already closing in on her, and with a wave of her hand, they were all frozen in place. She knew any chance to form any sort of treaty was likely out of the question now, but she didn't bring Emma here to be hurt, and she wasn't about to let it happen at the hands of a snivelling, entitled teenage boy.

She didn't bother with the King who was still calling to her to unfreeze his knights, and rather poofed herself to Emma, anchoring herself to Emma's magic.

Regina found herself standing in a hallway outside a closed door, with two guards standing before it, attempting to block her entry.

"Where is Emma?" she asked, calmly.

"No one is permitted to disturb the Prince," one guard said, curtly.

Regina gave an annoyed eye roll and formed a fireball in her hand. One slight toss, and the guard was incinerated. She turned to the other guard, unfazed. "May I enter?"

The second guard hesitated, and Regina let out an exasperated sigh. "Very well," she said, sounding almost bored, as she snapped his neck with a flick of her wrist, and stepped past him, blasting the door open with her magic.

Prince Michael spun around in shock when he heard the doors slam open, but not fast enough to hide the position he had Emma in. Regina saw her with his hand still firmly over her mouth, tears streaking down her cheeks, with her dress hiked up well over her hips and the Prince's hand still on her breast.

It was all Regina could to to hold back the urge to snap the Prince's neck, too, but she knew that would result in an all out war, which would likely encompass all the surrounding kingdoms, and a fair bit of magic; far more than she would be able to take on, alone.

Sadly, she knew she would have to let the Prince live.

"Get your hands off of her," Regina growled. This was a new side of Regina that Emma hadn't yet witnessed, and suddenly, despite the predicament she was in, she was fascinated, once again, by her mysterious Queen.

The Prince, for his part, was rightly terrified, as he immediately removed his hands and jumped back from Emma, like she'd just burned him. Emma pushed her dress back down and ran to Regina, who caught her in both arms and wrapped her into a tight embrace. Regina held her so tight that Emma was nearly breathless, and yet Emma still pushed to try to get even closer to the woman.

"Tell your father," Regina said, coolly, her voice dripping with venom as she regarded the Prince with dark eyes. "If he wants a war, he shall have a war."

The Silver Kingdom, on its own, was no match for her magic, she was sure. In any event, she wasn't about to sign a treaty with a man whose son had just accosted her princess. Without another word, she waved a hand to poof herself and Emma back into her bedchambers at the Dark Palace.

Emma breathed a sigh of relief when she realized where she was. She'd never thought she'd be so happy to see Regina's bedroom.

Regina lifted her hands to Emma's cheeks, cupping her face as she moved back slightly to look in her fearful green eyes. "Are you alright, my little Swan?"

"I… I… don't know," Emma stammered. Regina seemed to accept that answer as she drew Emma close again, in another tight embrace.

"I'm sorry, my princess. You should know it wasn't my intention for you to be hurt tonight," Regina said, as she stroked Emma's hair.

Emma nodded as she buried her head against Regina's shoulder. "Are we going to war?"

"We?" Regina repeated, surprised that Emma so quickly aligned herself on her side. "You do understand that your Kingdom will support the Silver Kingdom in this battle, yes?"

"Maybe not, if I tell my parents what the prince did," Emma suggested.

"Your parents will blame me for taking you there in the first place," Regina explained, as she reached to cup Emma's face in her hands again, so their eyes could me. "But, that doesn't mean that the prince won't have an unfortunate, fatal accident, does it?"

To her surprise, Emma actually smiled. Regina already knew the girl had a little darkness in her, and a little bit of her innocence had been lost tonight, that was for sure.

"Princess," Regina sighed, "I must call a meeting of my guard, to prepare for the impending war. Why don't you go down to the stables and check on your horse, hmm? Perhaps by the time I am done, you will have a name for him?"

Emma nodded. She didn't really want to leave the Queen at the moment, but she felt strangely safe here, and she was sure she'd be safe with Regina's stable hands, as well. She knew that no one in the palace would dare disobey their Queen.

Regina walked Emma down to the stables, and left her with her horse, and the promise that she'd be back, the moment she was done briefing her knights.

"Spending time with the horses always improves my mood when I've had a hard day," Regina explained, as she was leaving. "I hope your horse will do the same for you, my darling."

When the sun began to set, Regina headed out to the stables to collect Emma. She found the girl rhythmically brushing her colt's mane, with a faraway look in her eyes.

"Emma," Regina called, as she stepped closer. Emma's head snapped around, and she regarded Regina with an unreadable expression. "Are you feeling better?"

Emma nodded. "Yes," she said, as she put the brush down and stood, smoothing out her dress in the process. She stepped over to Regina, with one last glance back at her horse.

"Have you thought of a name?" Regina asked, raising her eyebrow.

Emma nodded. "Amarillo."

"Amarillo," Regina repeated. "Interesting choice."

Emma gave a cheeky grin, and Regina was actually relieved to see the expression, after the night they'd had. "Well," Emma said, playfully, "I didn't think you'd like Snowflake."

"Smart girl," Regina replied, impressed by Emma's boldness in making a joke like that. "What will his official registered name be?"

"Escarabajo Amarillo."

"Yellow Beetle?"

Emma shrugged. "I like it. You named your horse after the Devil," she pointed out.

"Touché."

Regina wrapped an arm around Emma's shoulders and led her up to the palace. She couldn't help but think everything was different now. Emma was still fifteen, but not as innocent as she was earlier that night. Part of Regina thought she should be happy about that, as it would make everything she had planned that much easier, but something deep inside of her wouldn't stop reminding her that she, herself, had been innocent once, too.

And that part of her suddenly felt fiercely protective over Emma. This change, in herself, she had not anticipated.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

* * *

"How did you know where I was?" Emma asked. She was curled up with Regina on the chaise in her bedchambers, just as she had been the last time she had been in the castle, right before Regina had fallen asleep and Emma had gotten lost in the halls. They hadn't spoken anymore, yet, about what had happened at the Silver Palace, but Emma badly wanted to know how Regina possibly heard her yelling from that far away. It was impossible.

Regina smiled and raised a finger to tap the silver swan necklace that hung around Emma's neck. "Your magic, my darling. You called to me, just like I told you to."

"Oh," Emma replied, surprised. "I didn't know I was using magic. I thought this necklace trapped it?"

"It controls it, my dear, but it doesn't trap it. Magic is fueled by emotion and your emotions were running high tonight. Your instinct overpowered the hold this necklace has on your magic. Your untapped potential is strong, Little Swan. I have you for six more days; we'll start lessons straight away."

Emma swallowed hard and nodded. The idea of using magic was still frightening, but becoming more and more alluring as well. She imagined what it would have been like if she'd have had control over her magic already, when the prince decided to accost her tonight. She could have roasted him herself.

She shuddered at the thoughts running through her own head. Would she really have roasted him? That's not the way her parents raised her to think, but at the same time, she had magic and she should rightfully be able to defend herself with it, shouldn't she?

"What are you thinking about, Emma?" Regina asked, noticing the array of emotions playing out on her face.

"I'm thinking if I knew how to use my magic, I might have killed Prince Michael tonight," Emma admitted. She didn't see a reason to censor her thoughts to Regina, of all people. She was the Evil Queen, after all. Thoughts of murder weren't foreign to her. The actual _act_ of murder wasn't foreign to her, so surely she would sympathize.

To her surprise, Regina let out a sharp laugh. "Oh my, you do have a little darkness in you, don't you, little one?"

"No, I… I don't _want_ to kill him," Emma insisted. "But I could have at least defended myself!"

"Yes, you could have," Regina agreed. "But don't be so quick to downplay your darkness, my dear. Everyone has a little, and those who say they don't, well, they are lying to themselves. If I'm going to teach you magic, you need to be honest with yourself."

Emma nodded again. She didn't remember ever actually _agreeing_ to learn magic, but she guessed at this point it was too late to back out, since Regina seemed convinced this was going to happen. She had to wonder though, what would happen when her parents found out. Would they fear her? Hate her? Banish her?

She supposed if any of those things happened, Regina would be more than willing to take her in, but she didn't want to think about even the possibility that her mother would ever banish her. She knew her parents had banished Regina, but that was different.

Wasn't it?

"Darling, you look utterly perplexed," Regina commented, as she absently stroked Emma's hair with one hand. Her hand always seemed to find it's way to Emma's hair on it's own, ever since the first time she brushed it for her.

"Prince Michael said some things to me tonight," Emma said, quietly.

"What did he say?"

"He said… he said he was going to claim me. He said when I'm his wife, I will have to do everything he says, as he expects me to be submissive to him."

"You're never going to be his wife, so you needn't worry about that," Regina assured her.

"He says his father will vanquish you, and then I will be forced to marry him."

"Well, considering your engagement was nothing more than your idiot parents attempting to protect you from me, it seems a little redundant to force you to marry him if I am vanquished," Regina reasoned.

"He doesn't seem to think so."

"Emma," Regina sighed, "this world we live in, it's not kind to women. Even growing up as sheltered as you have, you must realise this. But you, my dear, you have an advantage."

"My magic," Emma said, barely a whisper, as she caught on to Regina's train of thought.

"Exactly. They may call me evil, but trust me, my darling, no one takes advantage of me, not anymore. And no one will take advantage of you, either. I will teach you to be strong like I am."

"Is that what you meant? When you said one day you will take back your Kingdom, with me by your side?"

Regina smiled, impressed at how well Emma clung to her words. "Yes, Emma. You and I, together, we will be unstoppable."

Emma bit her lip to stop herself from asking _what about my parents?_ She knew enough by now not to upset Regina when she was in a good mood, and this was about the best mood she'd ever experienced from Regina, for this length of time. She supposed, she didn't even know how to use magic yet, there would be time to broach the subject of what Regina's plans were for her parents, still.

Though she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

They sat in silence for several minutes, before Emma finally decided to change the subject. Regina seemed to be in a particularly docile state, and Emma decided maybe it was time to press her luck and see if she could get the Queen to open up to her, even just a little bit. In spite of everything that had happened that night, and even in spite of the looming threat of a war on the horizon, Emma was still most intrigued with figuring out the complex puzzle that was the Evil Queen.

After all, what kind of woman could go to such extremes to try to kill the mother, and yet be perfectly content curled up cuddling the daughter? It made no sense, and Emma was determined to figure it all out. She was gazing up at Regina, who was looking out across the room, still idly stroking Emma's hair, and a question came to mind.

Tentatively, Emma reached a hand up to Regina's face, running her fingers lightly over the Queen's cheek, testing her limits.

"Emma, what are you doing?" Regina asked, her eyes focusing on the princess again.

"Where did you get this?" Emma asked, running her fingers closer to Regina's mouth, and over the scar on her lip.

Regina sighed, reaching up to take Emma's hand in her own. "Riding accident," she responded, shrugging it off like it was nothing. "I was very young. I barely remember."

"Oh," Emma said, slightly dejected. She wasn't sure what she was hoping for, but she expected it to be a more revealing answer than that, at least.

Regina smirked, noting the look on Emma's face. "What, did you think I had battled a dragon or something? Some scars are just scars, Emma. They don't mean anything."

Emma stared up at Regina as she spoke, and took silent note of the change in her demeanor as she spoke. Her eyes darkened and her speech quickened ever to slightly.

And for the first time, Emma realised she was lying.

* * *

"I told you a week," Regina said, casually, as she strolled up to where Snow and Charming stood just outside her magical barrier. When her knights had sent word earlier in the morning that the White Kingdom's cavalry was approaching, she had sent Emma out to the stable with the Huntsman to tend to her horse, entrusting Graham with the task of ensuring that Emma didn't know her parents were here.

"That was before the Silver Kingdom declared war on you!" David shot back, his sword already drawn, as always.

Regina just smiled. "Did they now? This is news to me," Regina drawled.

"Don't do this, Regina. She's not safe here," Snow cut in, her voice firm but softer than David's, in an attempt to appeal to Regina's good nature - the good nature she was convinced was still there, somewhere. "We know about you attacking the Prince in the palace last evening. The King isn't taking it lightly."

" _I_ attacked the _Prince_? Dear, you better find a more reliable source to get your information from, because I'm afraid the woodland creatures have this one wrong," Regina said, with a laugh. "And Emma is safest here, I might add. You can't get in, what makes you think that idiot King can?"

"He has-" David started, but Regina cut him off immediately.

"A favour from Rumplestiltskin? So I've heard. In fact, I've heard you were willing to sell off your daughter in return for that favour. Perhaps you should pay a visit to the imp. He's gone stark raving mad, you know."

Snow and David exchanged glances, and Regina smiled, seeing them try to decide if she was telling the truth or not. She hoped they did go pay Rumple a visit, and see what they really were willing to trade Emma for.

"I have Emma for six more days," Regina reminded them, "and I will not be returning her any sooner. If you dare come here again, before that time is up, then I may reconsider _ever_ giving her back to you again. Is that understood?"

David opened his mouth to protest, but Snow stopped him, knowing how serious a threat that really was. As painful as it was to allow Emma to spend time with Regina _at all_ , the prospect that it was only for a short time was all that made it even remotely bearable. She couldn't imagine losing her daughter to the Evil Queen forever.

"Yes," Snow agreed in defeat. "Six days."

Regina offered a curt smile, before poofing away from them in a cloud of thick purple smoke.

* * *

Emma jumped when Regina materialized in the stable without warning. As expected, Graham was holding silent watch over the door, ensuring that Emma didn't leave, and no one came in. Regina dismissed him, and watched as Emma visibly relaxed when she did so. She guessed Emma hadn't yet forgiven the Huntsman for his betrayal the night she ran away from her own Kingdom.

Regina stepped up beside Emma and gave Amarillo a soft stroke on his cheek, before turning back to her. "I should tell you, the Silver Kingdom has made a formal declaration of war, as of this morning."

Emma nodded slowly. It wasn't really surprising, but she was still a little on edge, ever since she'd detected Regina's lie the night before. "But, you can beat them, right? With your army and your magic?"

Regina sighed and offered Emma a small smile. "It will be a few weeks before they even consider attacking, I'm sure. I have knights situated throughout his Kingdom who will keep me abreast of any move he makes. He's going to have to find a way through my barrier if he wants to get to me."

"That doesn't really answer the question," Emma pointed out.

"I know."

Regina didn't really want to admit that she wasn't entirely sure she could win this war. If the White Kingdom aligned with the Silver Kingdom, they would have the fairies on their side. Her only saving grace, at this moment, was that Emma was here, and despite the lack of intelligence in both of her parents, Regina knew they wouldn't aid in any sort of attack on her palace with Emma there.

"It doesn't change anything," Regina said, finally. "We will still start magic lessons, today."

"Okay," Emma agreed, nervously. For her part, Regina seemed to pick up on the trepidation.

"If it becomes dangerous for you to be here, I will send you home to your parents, Emma," Regina said. She hadn't really thought about doing that until this moment, but it occurred to her that she wouldn't risk Emma's life over this war.

How ironic, she thought, considering a few short years ago she'd still been making plans to kill Emma herself. Looking at her now, Regina was glad _that_ plan had never come to fruition.

"What if they align with the Silver Kingdom?" Emma asked, in a whisper.

"Then so be it. I will not be held responsible for collateral damage. I only care about you, Emma, no one else."

Emma shuddered at the truth in that statement. She was sure that Regina really would let her parents die - or even kill them herself - if it came down to it. She wished there was a way she could act as a connection between Regina and her parents, and not just a bargaining chip, but she wasn't sure exactly how she was supposed to pull that off, when Regina so clearly hated them.

Oddly enough, even as Regina stood their and admitted she could let her parents die, Emma _still_ couldn't help but feel drawn to her. She should hate her for saying that, and she should still hate her for what happened last time she was at the palace. She should blame her for putting her in harm's way the evening before, but she just couldn't.

She wondered if this was because of her magic. Her magic could call to Regina without Emma even knowing it was happening. Admittedly, she didn't really know what magic felt like, but she couldn't help but think this magnetism was Regina's magic calling to her.

She had called on Regina to save her, perhaps Regina's magic was calling for Emma's help now.

Emma hoped it wasn't just wishful thinking.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

Emma wasn't sure what she should expect from magic lessons, and even less what she should expect from magic lessons with Regina, but standing in an open field behind the palace summoning fireballs in her hand was certainly not it.

Emma held her hand up, nervously, as Regina beamed, looking at the tiny fireball Emma had conjured up. It was nothing compared to what she knew Regina was capable of, but Emma couldn't help but feel a little proud of herself, anyway.

A little proud and a little terrified.

A little terrified, but a little powerful.

She could see now why Regina had told her at the beginning that magic was seductive.

 _It's not just a skill Emma, it's a way of life. It will seep into every part of you, know you, own you, and you need to learn to control it._

And Emma could already feel it, knowing her, owning her. With every fireball she made, she felt the urge to make yet another when the first fizzled out. And they were growing stronger, bigger, and brighter. And Regina looked on like a proud mother watching her baby take its first steps.

"You feel it, don't you Emma? That pull? That's the darkness in you, wanting to come out,"

Regina explained, smiling darkly.

Emma extinguished her fireball on the spot.

"What are you doing? Bring it back."

"I don't want the darkness to come out, Regina. I want to be good," Emma insisted.

"You want to be good? Do you know what _good_ gets you, Emma? Good gets you married to Prince Michael, being his obedient, submissive wife, bearing his sons and being at his beck and call. Is that what you want, Emma?"

Emma winced. "No."

"No. I didn't think so. Do you know what darkness can give you, Emma? It can give you strength and power. It can give you everything you want."

"I don't want power," Emma said, biting her lip and wondering how far she could push back before she really angered the Queen with her disobedience. "I don't want power and I don't want to marry the prince. I just want to marry someone I love."

"Love is weakness, Emma, and it's not meant for people like us. You're a princess; you will never get a choice in who you marry," Regina explained, her tone growing increasingly more annoyed.

"My mother did."

Regina clamped her eyes shut tight, in an attempt to cool her head and not roast Emma for bringing up Snow White _again_. How hard was it for this girl to follow one simple instruction?

"Make another fireball."

"No. I don't want to learn magic this way. I don't want darkness. I don't want to be-" Emma cut herself off before she could end that sentence with _like you_ , but she was well aware that Regina had made that inference herself, anyway.

"You don't want to be like me, is that it? You don't want to grow up to be like the Evil Queen? You should count yourself lucky that I don't teach you the way I was taught! Do you have any idea what that imp did to me?"

Emma's face paled. She knew enough to know the imp was Rumplestiltskin, even if she'd never met him. And she knew that he was the Dark One, and the most evil being in this realm. She hadn't known, however, that he had taught Regina. Her parents had seemingly left that small detail out.

"What did he do to you?" Emma asked, quietly.

"We're not talking about me right now. We're talking about you. Make another fireball. Now."

Emma could feel her own anger boiling up. No one talked to her like this; not even her own parents barked orders at her like this. Who was Regina to tell her what to do? Emma was a princess, and the daughter of Snow White, and Regina wasn't even a Queen anymore.

Oddly enough, Emma noticed Regina's expression change back into a dark, devious smile, and it took her only a moment to realize why: hovering above her hand now was the biggest, brightest fireball she'd managed to create yet.

"I told you there was darkness in you Emma. All you needed to do was harness that power. You will be unstoppable, my little Swan."

Emma cringed at the realisation that Regina was right. This power had come from inside her, she could feel it. As much as it terrified her, and as much as she wanted to be good, and pure like her mother, she couldn't deny that the darkness was tempting.

Regina raised her hand to extinguish Emma's latest fireball herself.

"Why did you do that?" Emma asked, narrowing her eyes accusingly at Regina. "I thought you _wanted_ me to make another fireball."

"I did," Regina replied, with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "And you did. And I'm glad. But I also want you to remember who is in charge here. I can see that look in your eyes, Emma. The darkness is seductive, I know, but you need to remember you belong to me."

Emma's face twisted into a scowl. "I don't belong to you," she retorted.

"You see?" Regina said, shaking her head. "One fireball and you think you can get away with such boldness. This is why you must remember your place. And no, you may not belong to me yet, but you will. _My_ princess."

Emma shuddered at Regina's possessiveness. She couldn't understand why everyone thought they had a right to _own_ her. Emma could learn magic and become powerful so she'd never have to belong to the prince, but she was becoming increasingly aware that no amount of magic was going to save her from the Queen.

Then again, she wasn't exactly sure she _wanted_ be saved from the Queen.

* * *

"Look, Little Swan," Regina called, as she stood before a large window that faced the North side of the Kingdom. Emma had been curled up on a chaise, reading an old book on magic that Regina had assigned to her, as Regina stood silent watch out the window.

Emma stood, obediently, and joined the Queen at the window, looking out over the hundreds of soldiers and horses that now lined the magical perimeter of the palace now.

"I thought you said they wouldn't come so soon?" Emma said, panic rising audibly in her voice.

"They are being foolish," Regina replied. "They have no idea how to get through. The question is though, Princess, do I let them continue to pace, or put them out of their misery now?"

"Kill them?" Emma gasped, turning to look at Regina in disbelief.

"It's a war, Emma. I kill them or they kill me. That's the way it works. Or would you prefer it if they win? Should I just lay down and admit defeat now?"

"No, I just… I…" Emma stammered, unsure of how to express to Regina that she really didn't want to see any casualties on either side

Regina raised her hands before her, and appeared to pay no mind to anything Emma was saying now. "I suggest you stand back, Little One, if you don't want to see this."

Emma obliged, taking several steps back, just in time to see a blast of bright purple light escape from Regina's fingers, followed by the sounds of shouting outside. Emma could tell by the sounds that several people were already wounded, but it didn't stop Regina from conjuring up fireball after fireball to launch at the army, until they finally fell silent.

Emma stood and watched Regina's face, the darkness in her eyes and the slight, satisfied curl of her lips. Emma knew she should be horrified by what she'd just seen, and yet, somehow, she felt more drawn to Regina now than before.

The darkness was seductive, Regina was right about that, but Emma was convinced that Regina, herself, was more seductive than the darkness could ever be.

* * *

As the week progressed, the Silver Kingdom stupidly marched more and more soldiers to their deaths at Regina's hands, and Emma quickly assessed that they really had no war plan.

Either that, or these soldiers were decoys.

Emma had suggested this theory to Regina, who dismissed it without a second thought, insisting that King Markus was not that intelligent. Emma hoped she was right about that, because the more time she spent with Regina, the more convinced she was that she would be absolutely devastated if something were to happen to her.

Emma's magic lessons also continued, and though Regina forced Emma to snatch the heart out of a unicorn, when Emma had cried actual tears at the prospect of crushing it, Regina had allowed her to replace it and let the creature live.

Something told Emma that Regina herself hadn't been spared from completing the act in her own lessons, but she decided not to ask about it. Regina had been pretty secretive about her lessons with Rumplestiltskin, and Emma decided maybe she didn't _really_ want to know all the horrors Regina had endured at his hand.

Emma noticed a change in Regina's demeanor on her last night at the palace. She seemed distant, and uninterested in magic lessons or the war. Even annihilating the latest throng of soldiers didn't seem to bring her the satisfaction it had on the previous nights.

"When are you going to ask for me back?" Emma asked, stepping up to Regina, tentatively.

"I hadn't thought about it," Regina said, trying to sound ambivalent, but Emma could tell she had thought about it. A lot. "Are you even interested in returning again?"

Emma faltered at the question. She wasn't exactly sure what to say. She was torn between wanting to go home and wanting to stay, but she worried that if she were honest, Regina might not let her leave at all.

"I am," Emma said, slowly, trying to keep her expression flat.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "You enjoy your time here?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. You're kinder to me than I would have expected," she admitted.

"Have you forgiven me for punishing you last time?"

Emma nodded again. "Perhaps I deserved it," Emma said, even though she didn't believe that she did. Truthfully, she had been terrified then, but the more magic she learned, the more she started to believe that she and Regina were on somewhat even footing. Well, even footing was an overstatement, even she knew that, but she guessed it wasn't too far of a stretch to think they might reach that point, someday.

"Perhaps you did," Regina acknowledged. "You don't fear for your safety when you are with me?"

Emma shook her head, no. "I don't think you will hurt me. And I don't think you will let anyone else hurt me. I think… I think you care about me."

Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Well, I did tell you as much earlier this week."

"Yes, but…."

"Yes, but what?" Regina asked, suddenly very interested on what Emma was about to say.

"But I think you care about me more than you wish to let on."

Regina actually smiled at the suggestion. "Oh, you do?" she asked, reaching out to stroke Emma's cheek. "Tell me, princess, do you care about _me_ more than you show?"

Emma bit her lip, unsure of what to say. Truthfully, she couldn't explain, even to herself, the pull she felt to Regina. It was wrong to think of another woman in this way, wasn't it? Certainly wrong considering _whom_ the woman in question was.

But, she guessed, she really _did_ care about Regina, and she wondered if perhaps letting her know this would change anything.

"I do," Emma said, simply.

Regina raised her eyebrow again. "Really. How much, I wonder?"

Emma hesitated for a moment, wondering for a moment if she should do the thing that on her mind, and had been all week. The darkness was seductive, and wanting to possess her, but then again, so was Regina. At the same time, Emma wanted to possess Regina as well.

She wondered, honestly, what was the worst that could happen?

Without another thought, Emma leaned forward, closing the distance between herself and the Queen, and pressed her lips to Regina's. She didn't really know exactly what she was doing, but Regina took over quickly, to her relief, drawing her hand into Emma's hair and kissing her back with a little more force.

Emma closed her eyes, noting the difference between what was happening now, and what had happened earlier in the week with the prince. Regina was kissing her hard, but she wasn't rough. She wasn't unnecessarily forceful, and she didn't scare Emma. Emma didn't feel like she was being devoured. She felt… loved.

It was Regina who broke off the kiss, pulling her head back to look at Emma in the eyes.

Despite the fact that she'd been an active participant, Regina actually looked surprised.

Regina smiled and stroked Emma's cheek again. "Tomorrow you will go home and spend a week with your parents. And I will ask them to return you at the end of the week, my princess. I can't bear to be away from you any longer than that."

Emma smiled, and nodded her agreement, though she was still rendered speechless by her own act of boldness.

Regina licked her lips, but dropped her hand from Emma's cheek, seeming to think better about attempting to kiss her again. "It's late, my little Swan. You should go to bed, I'm sure your parents will be here early to fetch you tomorrow."

Emma nodded, a little sadly, and bid goodnight to Regina and heading off to her room. Regina lingered in the study a little longer, touching her lips idly and waging an inner war on herself, debating whether she should follow the princess back to her room.

In the end, her innate protectiveness over Emma won out. She was still only fifteen, after all. A close-mouthed kiss was one thing, but Regina decided there was still time for everything else.

There was no need to rush.

Emma wanted to be with her, and Regina could wait.

She would simply have to.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

* * *

Emma's heart was pounding by the time she made it back to her bedroom. She'd dashed through the dark halls, and though Regina had explained to her they wouldn't move when she was _allowed_ to be in them alone, they still made Emma nervous until she was back in the sanctity of her own room.

She slammed the door shut and leaned her back against it, her head spinning at the realisation of what she had just done. She had _kissed_ Regina. The Evil Queen. The woman who had terrorized her mother for nearly two decades. The reason that Emma herself had been locked away behind the courtyard walls for her entire life.

Emma should hate her, but she didn't.

She wasn't sure exactly _what_ she was feeling. Exhilaration, thrill, excitement…. perhaps a little nausea from the surge of adrenaline. Whatever it was, it was new, and enticing, and she wanted to feel this way forever.

She smiled to herself as she slipped out of her dress, and corset and panties, until she was bare, standing before the mirror in her bedroom. Earlier this week, she'd seen herself as nothing more than a terrified child, but this was not a child looking back at her now. This was a _woman_.

She turned, looking at herself, admiring her own womanly curves - perhaps she was not as filled out or well defined as Regina was, but she certainly wasn't just a gangly teenager anymore. She was bold, confident, and dare she even think it, _attractive_.

Emma stepped away from the mirror, fetching a night dress from her wardrobe and slipping it over her head. She felt the soft silk slide cooly over her skin, and only then realised that she was _on fire_. She wondered if Regina felt the same way?

Her thoughts drifted to the older woman. Regina had looked shocked at her actions, but she hadn't stopped her. No, she had gone so far as to kiss her back, and Emma was sure that meant something. She guessed it meant she was correct in thinking Regina cared for her more than she let on.

The Queen and her princess, wasn't that what Regina wanted? Them, together? The Queen and her little Swan… The _Evil_ Queen and her _dark_ princess… Emma shuddered still at the idea of the darkness that was inside her, but she was growing more accepting, at least. After all, if she had darkness, she might as well harness it, right? Regina seemed to think so, and Emma was running out of arguments to the contrary.

The darkness was seductive, after all, and Emma didn't even _want_ to argue against it anymore.

Emma looked around her room. As much as she had grown used to being there, this room was still cold, lonely, and impersonal. She hated the bars on the windows and she hated that it felt like a prisoner's cell. Regina had told her to go to her room, but she had also told her, right from the start, that she wasn't locked in. Emma guessed that meant it was alright to go _out._

She didn't venture far, knowing better than to get herself lost in those hallways, _again._ She went no further than Regina's bedchambers. Glancing around, she found the room still empty, so she made her way to the chaise to lay down, and await her Queen's return.

* * *

Regina paced in her study, trying in vain to reconcile what had just happened. This kiss -this _everything_ \- Emma learning magic, Emma _wanting_ to be with her, this had been all she'd wanted since the first moment Emma stepped foot in her castle, but it was still unsettling. She hadn't expected _Emma_ to be the one to initiate it.

She guessed, in a way, she should be grateful. With Emma initiating their first kiss, Regina didn't have to spend the next week lamenting at stealing the child's innocence, as she knew she would under any other circumstance. But Emma was still a child and she was still innocent, and Regina forced herself to remember that.

But she wouldn't be a child much longer, Regina reminded herself. Perhaps she would be of age before the war was even over. Perhaps they could announce their engagement and unite Regina's fallen Kingdom with the White Kingdom, forcing Snow White to become her ally in all of this.

Perhaps Regina was losing her mind.

She had to laugh at the ridiculous thoughts running through her head. Emma had done this, she was sure. She had thrown her off with that kiss, and now Regina's brain was short-circuiting. What else could explain this temporary lapse in sanity?

There would be no engagement announcement. There would be no aligning with the White Kingdom. Regina knew that being with Emma, long-term, would mean all out war with Snow White's Kingdom. She just hoped that this war with the Silver Kingdom would be over by then.

Regina crossed the room to her mirror, and waved Emma's image onto it. She was curled up, sleeping on the chaise in her room. Not _exactly_ what she'd told her to do, but she was quickly learning that Emma never did exactly what she was supposed to. She had underestimated Emma right from the start, she realized.

Regina sighed and decided perhaps it was time for her to retire for the evening as well. Nothing more would happen between herself and Emma tonight, she resolved, but she also didn't want to be away from her princess any longer, and so she poofed herself back to her bedchambers.

"It's time for bed, Little One," Regina said, gently shaking Emma's shoulders to wake her.

Emma yawned and blinked up at Regina with a sleepy smile. "Can't I just sleep here? Or perhaps in your bed, again?"

Regina sighed. "No."

"Why?" Emma asked, frowning. Perhaps she'd misjudged Regina's reaction to the kiss entirely.

"Because… I don't trust myself around you right now. Your room, please," Regina said, trying to keep her voice even.

Emma sat up with a pout. "You can't keep me locked up like a prisoner!"

"My my, someone's feeling very bold," Regina said, raising an eyebrow, before waving a hand in the general direction of Emma's bedroom. Emma watched as sparks of purple magic left Regina's fingers. "There. Now you have freedom."

Emma scrunched up her face in confusion, but got up to see what Regina had done, anyway.

She stepped into her room to find the bars on the window were gone, and there was now an additional door, that lead into the hallway. She wasn't sure if the hallways were still enchanted, but she appreciated the gesture, none-the-less.

"Better?" Regina asked, from behind her.

Emma turned and smiled, before pressing herself up against Regina in a tight hug. "Yes. Thank you."

Regina stiffened at the contact. It wasn't like this was the first time she'd embraced Emma, but everything was truly different now, and she wasn't sure that the princess really understood that. Nothing between them would ever be innocent, again.

Regina broke away from the embrace and stepped back, before closing the door to Emma's bedroom and leaning her back up against the hard wooden door. She took a few deep breaths to try to calm herself.

In all the years Regina had spent cooped up in this castle, watching Emma through the mirror, she'd never expected that the girl would ever be able to make her feel like _this_. She hadn't felt this intensely about anyone since….

"No," Regina whispered to herself as she stepped away from the door. _That_ was a road she wasn't about to let herself go down. It was _far_ too dangerous. She might let herself grow fond of Emma, and care about her, perhaps even love her, but true love was something that only came around once in a lifetime, and Regina knew that wouldn't happen for her again. It couldn't. That just wasn't the way things worked, especially not for her.

It was the kiss that was throwing her off. That was it, she was sure. It was unexpected and it was throwing her off and a good night's sleep was all she needed. Everything would be normal again in the morning.

And in the morning, Regina sent Emma back with her parents with a bittersweet smile and not so much as a scathing word toward Snow. She just didn't have it in her that day. Even as she watched more soldiers making their way toward her castle later that morning, she couldn't even find the desire to fireball them, and instead just let them pace in front of the magical barrier that they had no hope of getting past.

"What in the hell is wrong with me?" Regina muttered to herself, as she paced in the hallways. Emma had been gone home for six hours already, and still, nothing felt right.

"You miss the girl."

Regina's head snapped up as her Huntsman approached.

"Apparently Emma's not the only one feeling bold lately, is she, Huntsman?" Regina replied, with a sneer.

"Perhaps," Graham agreed, "or perhaps you just need a fresh set of eyes to look at what's really going on here."

Regina rolled her eyes. "If I need input from anyone, it's certainly _not_ you," she shot back.

Graham shrugged, and continued down the hall, to wherever he'd been headed. Truthfully, Regina didn't care much for his comings and goings anymore, not since she'd relieved him of his physical obligations to her. She wondered now if perhaps she'd been a little too hasty, and if perhaps some physical attention was exactly what she needed to clear her head.

But she was no longer interested in Graham.

"I am _not_ in love with her," Regina insisted aloud, to no one but herself, wondering, even as she said the words, just how long she could keep lying to herself.

* * *

Emma smiled as she settled into her seat in her parents' carriage.

"You seem happy today," Snow commented, eyeing her daughter suspiciously.

"Just happy to be going home," Emma lied, as she glanced out the window of the carriage to the scenery passing by.

"What did you do with Regina?" Snow asked, hoping that for once Emma would tell her _something_ about what went on in the Dark Palace while she was away.

Emma continued to look out the window. "She.. she just likes for me to keep her company," Emma said, tentatively, knowing that even though that seemed unlikely, her mother would probably be quick to believe her because she wanted to believe that nothing else went on while she was with the Evil Queen.

Emma guessed her mother probably thought that Regina treated her horribly while she was there. She was sure Snow would never guess that Regina, in fact, treated her well and taught her magic. She was certain her mother would _never_ guess what had transpired between herself and the Queen just last night.

Emma had never been one to keep secrets from her mother in the past, but now the secrecy felt enticing.

And Emma began to wonder if all of this - magic, kissing, lying, secrets - was what embracing her darkness was all about.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

Emma couldn't help but feel more than a little antsy when she returned to her own palace.

Seth greeted her instantly with a big hug, and Emma forced a smile, though she still hadn't forgiven her adopted brother for lying to her. She supposed she should, since his lie led to her ultimately meeting the Queen, and she wouldn't take any of that back, but that was beside the point.

For his part, Seth didn't seem to care either way.

Emma sighed as she walked through the halls to her bedchambers. Her parents had seemed distracted from the moment they'd stepped back onto the palace grounds, and she really didn't have an interest in talking to Seth. She found it odd how her once comforting childhood home now felt lonely to her, and she immediately missed Regina's presence. She was never alone at the Dark Palace, and she'd grown to like that.

Emma sat down at her vanity and stared at her own reflection in the mirror that she'd seen her Queen in so many times. Without really thinking about it, she began to tap on the glass, remembering how that had made Regina appear once before. But it didn't seem to be working this time.

She let out an exasperated sigh, before it occurred to her that perhaps she could use her own magic to appear in Regina's mirror.

It had only been a week that Emma had been learning magic, but she felt like she'd learned a great deal in that time, and she was sure she could pull this little trick off, even with the enchanted necklace still firmly in place around her neck. She'd overpowered it before to call to Regina, she was convinced she could do it again.

Emma took a deep breath and focused on that energy inside her, just as Regina had taught her to. She could still feel it, swirling around, just below the surface of her being, and she honed in on it, staring intently at the mirror and focusing on her desire to get in touch with Regina.

Nothing happened.

"Ugh!" Emma groaned, slamming her fists down hard on the vanity table, just as she heard a small smash from behind her. She turned her head quickly to see that one of the pretty, ornate sconces on her wall had just smashed, though no one was near it.

"Emma?"

Emma jumped at Seth's nervous voice, and turned her head to face the doorway where Seth had silently cracked open the door and was peeking his head inside.

"What Seth!" Emma demanded, annoyed and a little frightened by what had just happened. She couldn't be sure, but she suspected _that_ was her magic, even though she hadn't intended to break the sconce.

"I heard a smash. Are you alright?" Seth asked, stepping fully into the room.

Emma breathed out a long sigh. "I'm fine. A sconce broke. I guess the flame was too hot," she said, shrugging it off. "Don't tell Mother and Father, alright?"

Seth smiled and nodded eagerly. Emma supposed she had been ignoring him for some time, and he was likely glad his sister was finally on speaking terms with him again. But she wasn't quite ready to forgive and forget just yet.

"Seth, I've been meaning to ask you something," Emma said, thoughtfully.

"What is it?"

"Why did you tell me the Queen was dead?"

Seth merely shrugged. "Someone told me she was."

"Who?"

Seth shrugged again, looking at the floor. "I don't remember. Please don't be angry with me Emma. I've missed you."

"I suppose I'm not angry," Emma sighed.

Seth smiled. "I am sorry. But Mother says the Queen is kind to you."

Emma nodded. "She is. We've become… friends," she admitted. "I've actually grown to miss her when I'm away. She even gave me a horse of my own."

"Mother and Father miss you very much when you're away," Seth pointed out.

Internally, Emma cringed. If she was being honest with herself, she had forgotten all about them on several occasions during her week with Regina. Being with her felt so natural that sometimes Emma forgot that she had a whole other life outside the Dark Palace.

Well, it wasn't really a life when she was essentially a prisoner, but it occurred to her that now that she was under the Queen's protection, perhaps she could convince her parents to remove the walls. The seemed a little redundant now since they were only ever intended to keep the Queen out, and her parents hand-delivered her to the Queen herself whenever she so requested.

"Where are Mother and Father?" Emma asked.

"In the war room," said Seth.

"The war room? Why?" Emma felt a twinge of panic rising inside her.

"The are discussing forming an alliance with King Markus," Seth said, shrugging it off nonchalantly.

Emma's eyes went wide. "No! They can't do that!" she cried, jumping up from her vanity and all but pushing Seth over as she darted past him and dashed down the hallways until she reached the large doors of the war room. Without hesitation, she pushed them open and ran inside, sure enough finding her parents along with the heads of their guard and the Blue Fairy, around the large table, discussing plans.

"Emma!" Snow gasped, surprised by her daughter's unexpected intrusion.

"You can't align with the Silver Kingdom!" Emma exclaimed, and she reached the table and positioned herself between her parents.

"We have to, Emma. This war puts you in direct danger," David explained calmly.

"No! King Markus wants to kill Regina and make me marry Prince Michael anyway!" Emma cried. "You can't! If you want to help me, align with Regina and make King Markus back down."

"It's Regina's fault you're in danger in the first place," David reminded her. "We've done everything we can to protect you from her your entire life, and we're not about to stop now. Winning this war will win you back your freedom."

"I've never had freedom!" Emma shot back. "Not once in my life, not until I met Regina. And I never will again if I am forced to marry Prince Michael. If the Silver Kingdom is seeking an alliance, then they must know they aren't strong enough to beat her. Regina can slay throngs of knights without even leaving her balcony and he just keeps sending more. He doesn't have a plan and there's only going to be more casualties. Please don't do this!"

Snow frowned, looking at the obviously pained expression on her daughter's face. Regina had sworn Emma would come to love her, and Snow was beginning to realize she wasn't wrong.

But she couldn't leave her daughter in harm's way.

"You're not safe with Regina while this war continues. She's not as invincible as she thinks she is," Snow explained.

"She promised to send me home if it was too dangerous for me to stay there!" Emma insisted.

"We can't just trust her to make that judgment call. You're our daughter and we need to protect you," David said, firmly. "This is not up for debate."

Emma looked back and forth between her parents. Realizing that there was no convincing them, she stormed back to her bedroom. She had never been one to storm about the castle, but she had also never been one to disagree with her parents. She had always had blind faith in every decision they made, because she'd had no reason not to.

She found her bedroom thankfully empty when she returned. She didn't know or care where Seth had gone, but she noticed that the broken glass from the scone had been cleaned up, and the fixture had been replaced, and she knew it must have been him. She didn't have time to think about that now, however, as she was far too worked up and upset over what had just transpired. She slammed the door shut and headed to her vanity again, slumping down on the bench and letting her head drop to her hands and she began to sob.

She hadn't cried since the night that Regina had slapped her, and now it was all coming out at once: her fear over the war, and over magic, and over what Prince Michael had done that night at the Silver Palace, the uncertainty of the future, and, even stronger than all of the rest of these things, the desire to be with Regina again _right now_. She missed her dearly and it hurt in a way Emma had never thought possible.

In the midst of her tears, Emma felt her magic swirling inside her again, stronger this time than earlier when she'd tried to contact Regina. She remembered Regina telling her it was connected to her emotions, and she looked up just in time to see the white magic enveloping the mirror before her, and fading away to reveal an image of Regina in her study, sitting at her desk, looking intently at some papers before her.

Emma gasped, barely able to believe she'd just pulled that off. For a moment, she just stared, before she found her voice and called out for Regina.

Regina jumped and looked up, her eyes immediately finding the mirror that Emma knew hung on the wall directly across from the desk. Emma watched in awe as Regina lips curled into a small smile and she got up from her desk and approached the mirror.

"My, my, Little Swan, those lessons really are paying off, aren't they?" Regina asked, as she reached the mirror.

Emma just nodded, her eyes still wide.

"What's got you so upset, I wonder? Do you miss your Queen already?" Regina asked, cocking her head to one side.

Emma nodded again. "Yes, but it's more than that. My parents… they're going to align with King Markus!"

Regina smirked and shook her head. "This war is dwindling down before it even begins, my love. The King attacked without a plan, and now he's scrambling to to recover from that grave error, but he's lost so many men already. He's desperate. There's nothing for you to worry about, princess."

"But my parents will have the fairies and magic!" Emma insisted.

"Not if I vanquish the Silver Kingdom before they have a chance to align," Regina said, with a dismissive shrug.

"Can you do that?" Emma asked, incredulously.

"Just watch me," Regina replied, with a wink. "You know I'm not going to let anything come between you and me, not even a war. You will be back in my arms soon enough, Little Swan, safe and sound."

"Promise?"

Regina smiled, and moved her hand to the mirror, letting it slip magically through the enchanted glass, to stroke Emma's cheek. "I would do anything for you, my dear. I promise, when you return to me, all will be well again."

"Okay," Emma agreed, deciding to put her faith in Regina on this one. "Oh, I'm losing it!" she cried, as she watched Regina's image slowly begin to fade.

"That's alright, Emma. You did so well. I'm proud of you," Regina said, as she withdrew her hand back to her side of the mirror. "I will see you soon."

Emma breathed a bittersweet sigh as Regina's face disappeared completely from view. She wished she could have held on to the magic longer, but she supposed she should be proud of herself for even managing it at all.

In any event, her thoughts were cut short by a light tapping on her bedroom door. She quickly wiped any remaining tears from her cheeks, before beckoning the visitor to come it. She'd expected it to be Seth again, but was surprised to see it was actually her mother.

Snow offered Emma a warm smile as she stepped over to sit on her daughter's bed, and patting the mattress next to her, calling Emma over to sit with her.

"We've decided to delay the alliance," Snow said, as Emma sat down next to her. "The Silver Kingdom has already lost a great deal of men, and perhaps you are right, there will only be more casualties."

"Regina's not going to let me get hurt," Emma pointed out, again, for good measure.

"You're growing fond of her, aren't you?"

Emma looked down at the floor and shrugged, knowing that her daughter forming an affectionate relationship with Regina might be hard for Snow to take, at least so soon. "She's kind to me."

"So you keep telling me. I wish you would tell me what goes on while you're there," Snow pressed.

"Do you think perhaps it's time to remove the walls?" Emma asked, changing the subject completely. "I'm not in danger anymore. Perhaps it's time to let people in again, like the other Kingdoms do. And not just for special affairs."

Snow nodded, slowly. "I… I'll speak to your father and we'll decide, alright?"

Emma sighed. "That means no."

"It just means not right now," Snow insisted. "This deal we have with Regina is still new, my darling. I know you trust her, but you barely know her. Let's give it more time before we do anything rash."

"Fine," Emma conceded. She supposed it didn't matter, anyway, since there was no place she'd want to go other than the Dark Palace, and no one she'd want to see other than Regina. What difference did it make if she was a prisoner here?

"Emma," Snow sighed. "I know you think you're trapped here, but please understand we've only ever done it to protect you. It was never my desire to raise you without the freedom you should have had, but I had to consider your ultimate safety first."

Emma nodded, not really caring to hear what Snow was saying right now. Of course, she knew her mother was right, but she'd also had a taste of freedom, and it was hard to go back once she knew what she was missing.

But it was alright. Soon enough, she'd be back in Regina's arms, once again.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

Emma's week at the White Palace passed unbearably slow. She'd never truly realized how caged in she felt within these walls until she'd spent time with Regina, and she just couldn't wait to get back.

A small part of her resented that she felt that way, since she knew her parents adored her, but she was fifteen years old now, not a child anymore, and she was ready to escape - even if escape came in the form of her parents literally escorting her to her destination.

She tried not to let her excitement show as they neared the Dark Palace. She knew she had been more than just a little apprehensive on her last two treks here, and though she didn't want her parents to worry about what sort of things went on when she was with Regina, she also didn't want to hurt them by letting them think she was eager to get away from them, either.

So she sat and stared out the window of the carriage, not grinning when she saw Regina's palace come into view, no matter how badly she wanted to.

As always, Regina was waiting just inside her invisible magical barrier, smiling widely, her eyes only on Emma as Emma stepped out of the carriage. As always, both of her parents accompanied her on the short walk from the carriage to the edge of the barrier.

This time, however, Regina wasted no time reaching for Emma's hand and pulling her safely through the shield, and into her warm embrace, right in front of Emma's parents. Emma heard her mother gasp from behind her, but she didn't care. Regina's arms felt like home to her now.

"When can we bring her home?" Emma heard her father ask.

Regina shrugged. "I don't know just when I'll be ready to part with my princess," she said, running her fingers through Emma's hair. "I'll send word when you may come and fetch her."

"Regina, that's not fair!" This time it was Snow, and Emma turned her head to look at her, after hearing the desperation in her mother's voice.

"It's alright, Mama," Emma said, offering her mother a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine."

"See Snow? She'll be fine. She doesn't need her mother hovering, do you Little Swan?" Regina asked, turning her attention to Snow and then back to Emma, as though Snow had just disappeared.

Emma gaped for a moment, unsure of how to answer that question in a way that would appease Regina and not hurt her mother. "I'll… be fine," she said again, less self-assured than she had been the first time.

"Yes, now, come along. I have so much planned for us," Regina said, with a dismissive wave towards Snow and Charming, as she turned to lead Emma back towards the palace.

"My parents didn't align with the Silver Kingdom," Emma said, as soon as she knew they were out of earshot.

Regina sighed. "You know I have no interest in what your parents do."

"But, I thought-"

"Emma. The war is practically over before it even begins," Regina said, as if it had suddenly become a non-issue. Emma had noticed that they didn't pass a single one of the Silver Kingdom's knights on the ride over, but something in Regina's demeanor told Emma that the former Queen was being less than truthful. This was not the first time she'd suspected Regina was lying to her, but she couldn't figure out why she would lie about something as important as a _war._ Especially not when she'd promised to keep Emma safe.

Emma couldn't help the uneasy feeling washing over her as she followed Regina into the large atrium near the centre of the palace. She'd barely been there ten minutes, and Regina was insisting they get down to magic lessons right away.

Emma couldn't help but feel that something was off with Regina, from the moment she stepped foot in the palace. The Queen always took magic lessons seriously, but Emma had never seen this degree of intense focus from her. Regina wasn't an overly patient woman, but Emma had liked to think she was patient with her, at least.

Today, that wasn't the case.

"Emma!" Regina barked. "Focus!"

"I'm trying!" Emma insisted. The spell Regina was trying to teach her was complicated, and, truthfully, Emma wasn't exactly in the mood for magic lessons today in the first place. She'd missed Regina dearly and she wanted to spend time _being_ with her, not being yelled at by her.

"You're not! This beginner stuff and you're not concentrating!"

"Stop yelling at me!" Emma snapped, her green eyes turning fiery.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "My my, someone's grown bold. Have you forgotten your place here, little one?"

Emma couldn't help the hurt look that passed over her face. It was evident that the Queen was not herself today. At least, she was not the version of herself that Emma had grown accustomed to, and even fond of, and it was unsettling, to say the least.

"No," Emma said, timidly. "I just don't like when you yell at me."

Regina stepped over to her, cupping Emma face in both of her hands. "And _I_ don't like when you waste my time. Start again."

Emma let out an exasperated sigh and started over on the spell. It took at least thirteen more tries to get it right, and when she finally did, Regina acted like she didn't care. Emma knew she should know better than the poke the bear, but she couldn't imagine spending an indefinite amount of time at the Dark Palace if Regina was going to be this way. She had to figure out what was going on.

"Regina," Emma said, softly. "I'm not trying to anger you, but I… I'd hoped that you would be happy to see me again. I've been looking forward to returning."

With that, Regina's eyes softened, ever so slightly. Anyone else might not have even noticed, but Emma had grown aware of the slightest changes in the Queen's moods, and she'd become more able to read her.

"Little Swan," Regina said, cupping her face in one hand again. "It's not really your fault that I'm angry. But you are distracted and it is frustrating me."

Emma looked down at the ground for a moment, hesitating before speaking again. "I know you don't like when I talk about them, but my parents said something troubling to me."

Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes. "What did they say?"

"They said that you're not as invincible as you think you are. And that they can't trust you to send me home if I'm in danger here."

"Do you think I would allow harm to come to you?"

Emma shrugged. "I didn't think you would yell at me."

"Emma!" Regina threw her arms up in exasperation. "You're reminding me a lot of your mother right now, and I don't like it. You're not a child anymore, and it's time to stop acting like one. You think being a princess entitles you to special treatment."

"No I don't!" Emma insisted. "I just… thought…"

Regina shook her head, quite clearly done with this conversation. "Go out and tend to your horse. You may return for dinner."

* * *

Emma left the palace in a huff, stomping and kicking the ground the entire way to the stables. She knew _that_ was childish, but she wasn't sure what else to do. She was trapped in the confusing state of being treated like a child at home, and being expected to behave as an adult at the Dark Palace, and she was lost somewhere in the middle of those two things.

She dodged Diablo's stall as she entered the stable. He was huge and dark and domineering compared to her little foal. Amarillo had grown since she'd been there last, but he was still small and bright and full of energy and life.

Emma stepped over to the wall to grab a brush before entering Amarillo's stall. Along the way, she passed the empty stall with the embossed metal plaque reading _ROCINANTE_. She'd never worked up the nerve to ask Regina what happened to Rocinante, but she never missed the longful look in her dark eyes whenever she passed that door.

But now was not the time to wonder about such things. Regina had sent her to tend to her horse, and that's what she intended to do. She sat down on the stool in Amarillo's stall and began to brush the foal, hoping that when she finally returned to the palace for dinner, she'd find the Queen in a more agreeable mood.

"At least you seem yourself," she muttered to Amarillo, and jumped as Diablo let out an unexpectedly loud snort. She stared up at the huge black Stallion, wondering for a moment if they horse had understood her and was responding.

"That's crazy," she whispered to herself, but finished brushing Amarillo in silence, none the less.

She quickly grew bored of tending to her horse, and she could tell by the sun that there was still quite a bit of time until dinner. She supposed Regina hadn't explicitly said to tend to the horse _until_ dinner, and she guessed it might be alright to go out and wander the palace grounds. She decided she wouldn't go far, and she wouldn't stay out long, and everything would be fine.

She walked around the back of the paddock where some of the other horses were still outside. Soon they would all be in their stalls, but the stable boys seemed to be behind on their duties today. Emma paid no mind to the horses as she rounded the back of the paddock.

Emma bristled at an unfamiliar sound behind her, like a twig breaking in the distance. She turned, but all she saw was the woods behind her. She knew she was near the perimeter of Regina's magical barrier, and she didn't fear anything beyond that invisible wall of magic, but that didn't particularly sound like the rustling of an animal behind her. She took a few steps closer to the barrier, and heard another small sound to her right.

Her head immediately snapped to the right, but again, she saw nothing. Her senses were on high alert as she backed away from the invisible wall, as she was quite sure these noises were out of place. She turned, and from the corner of her eye spotted the faintest hint of movement in the woods, before a flurry of flaming arrows came at the barrier in rapid succession.

They couldn't get through, Emma knew, and she stared with wide eyes trying to catch sight of who was shooting them. They didn't seem to be shooting at her, specifically, but the arrows were hitting the barrier all around her and bouncing back, before hitting the ground.

Something was odd about the way the fire glowed on the ground as the arrows fell. It didn't seem to spread, but rather burned bright orange around the base of the barrier, mapping out a distinct curved line.

She didn't have time to think about what was happening though, as she heard one of the horses whinny behind her, and spun around to find one of the large grey stallions up on his hind legs, quite clearly spooked by the fire. She didn't even have time to react before the horse was down again, on all four feet, and taking off in a gallop, barrelling straight through the wooden fence, and then straight into Emma, knocking her to the ground.

She groaned and rolled onto her side, covering her head weakly with her hand as the horse took off, as though that might have protected her had he decided to stomp on her.

She hadn't been trampled but she felt like she had been as she tried to ease herself back onto her feet. The horse had managed to throw her a few yards, she was sure, and she quickly found standing again wasn't going to be an option just yet.

She fell back to her knees just as she heard Regina's panicked voice telling her not to move.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Regina magically freeze the remaining horses, all of whom looked like they were about to take off in the same direction the stallion just had, and Emma was aware that she might well have just been trampled completely.

Emma squinted in confusion as she realized the fence around the paddock had somehow caught fire. She watched as Regina extinguished it with the flick of her wrist, and then turned to observe the fire at the base of her magical barrier. She leaned forward, and looked as though she were about to blow out the flame on a birthday candle. Instead, she blew the bright orange flames back at the source they were coming from, and Emma watched in absolute awe as the forest before her lit up bright orange, before the flames turned purple and then burned out completely.

Regina stepped forward to her barrier, putting her hands on it, and it lit up in a bright purple flash. She held her hands there for several moments, before gasping and dropping her hands, taking several steps back, looking as though she were suddenly exhausted.

Emma had managed to pull herself back up into a standing position, on shaky legs, by the time Regina turned her attention back to her.

"Regina… what…"

"Shhh," Regina soothed her, putting a hand protectively on the back of Emma's head before poofing them back to her bedchambers in a cloud of purple smoke.

"Hilda!" Regina snapped at the servant girl who was busy cleaning the floors in her bedchambers when they reappeared. "Find Graham and tell him to send the army on a sweep of the woods. And there's a stallion on the loose on the palace grounds."

Hilda bowed her head to her Queen before scurrying off to do what she was told, as Regina gently urged Emma to lie down on the bed.

"What part of tend to your horse did you not understand?" Regina asked, as she ran her hands over Emma's head and face. Emma could feel Regina's magic healing her, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I did," Emma insisted, although halfheartedly.

"You don't listen and you put yourself in danger," Regina lectured, as she worked her healing magic down Emma's body.

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered. She really didn't have another excuse.

"I'm sure you are, now that you've been injured," Regina said, her voice only mildly scolding now.

"How did the fire get in?" Emma asked, opting to change the subject instead.

"What?"

"The fire… how did it get through your barrier?"

"It didn't," Regina said, not looking at Emma's eyes.

"It did! I saw the fence on fire. You put it out!"

"You must have hit your head. I did no such thing."

"Why are you lying?"

"I'm not. Now, I must meet with my guard. You are to go to the dining room and eat, understand?"

"Alone?"

"Emma, I swear!"

"Alright!" Emma said, throwing her hands up in surrender as she sat up in Regina's bed. "I'll go."

Regina nodded and stood as Emma left the room quickly. Emma padded down the hallway, her mind still hyper alert to any sound around her, though she was sure Regina had just taken care of whatever threat was outside.

She wondered if that attack had anything to do with why Regina had been so apprehensive and short tempered today. She wondered if Regina had known that it - or something, at least - was coming. Emma was sure she couldn't have known there would be an attack near the stables, or she never would have sent her there, but something was definitely very wrong.

Regina had been lying to her since the moment she'd returned to the castle, that much Emma was sure of. She was lying about the war being over and she was absolutely lying about the fire that had penetrated the magical barrier.

For the first time, Emma suddenly wondered if her parents were right. Could they trust Regina to make the right call when it came to Emma's safety? Could _she_ trust Regina?

She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she hoped that by tomorrow, the Regina she'd grown used to and adored would be back, and the tension of today could be long forgotten.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

* * *

Being alone in the dark palace was dreadfully lonely in a way that Emma hadn't experienced until now. There were servants bustling about in the dining room, ensuring that Emma had enough to eat and was enjoying her meal, but everyone seemed on edge, and no one seemed particularly keen on actually holding a conversation.

Emma didn't like it, and in spite of herself, she found herself pouting and picking at her food. Regina didn't like her acting so childish, but she found herself unable to help it. She'd missed Regina so much, more than she'd even begun to realize, and now she felt like she was still missing her, even when they were both under the same roof.

After nearly an hour of sitting alone in the dining room, Emma wasn't sure if she should just get up and leave, or wait on the off chance that Regina would arrive eventually. Her question was answered, however, with Hilda's arrival.

"Her Majesty requests that you go to the library and study on the magic books she's left out for you," Hilda informed her.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Will she be joining me?"

Hilda gave a brisk shake of her head before shooing Emma from her seat at the table. Emma wasn't used to being treated in such a manner by servants and staff, but in Regina's castle she wasn't seen as a princess. Regina's staff was infallibly loyal to their Queen, who wasn't even really a Queen if Emma was being honest, and for the life of her she couldn't understand why so many of them even stayed. As far as Emma could tell, she was the only person that Regina even showed an ounce of kindness to, so she guessed perhaps the staff feared her magic. Or, perhaps, they enjoyed the protection of the magical barrier around the palace.

Either way, Emma didn't like how they talked down to her and ordered her around, even if it was at Regina's will, but even she was feeling a little wary and apprehensive of Regina's current mood, and so she decided to comply with the instructions.

Emma trudged her way down the hallways until she neared the library. The books on magic were indeed left out on the table, but Emma had very little interest in even looking at them. She only really cared about magic when Regina was actually teaching her, and even then, only when Regina was being kind to her.

Instead of opening any of the books provided, Emma took to the shelves instead, running her fingers over the spines of the books, noting with chagrin that most of them were books they had in the library at her own castle, and most were ones she'd already read. Emma had been an avid reader from a young age, and before Seth had come along, she really hadn't had much else to do to entertain herself, so she read.

Emma continued to trace her fingers over the books until something peculiar happened. When her hand fell upon an old book of poems, she couldn't help but notice the faint purple light that emitted from the spine.

"What?" Emma whispered, as she pulled the book down from the shelf, holding it in both hands as it glowed brighter.

She recalled reading an entire chapter in one of Regina's books about glamour spells, and guessed immediately that this book was in disguise, though for the life of her, Emma couldn't guess why Regina would conceal a book as another book.

She guessed there was only one way to find out.

With the glowing book firmly in one hand, Emma hurried over to the others, flipping through the pages until she found the section on glamours once again. It took several tries - enough so that she knew Regina would have been livid if she were teaching her this - but eventually, Emma managed to strip the glamour from the book.

The book she was holding now in its place was black with gold hinges, and had an intricate design on the front and a glowing red heart in the direct centre of the cover, but no title. Emma bit her lip and quickly sat down on the chaise, wasting no time opening the book.

Emma's eyes widened in surprise when she found a name inscribed inside the front cover; it simply read Cora, and Emma quickly remembered Regina' mother's name from her discussion with her own mother.

Excited, Emma flipped a few pages, and was quick to recognize this book for what it was: a spell book. Emma had known Regina's mother possessed magic, but she'd had no idea she was quite so adept. She recalled Regina claiming her mother had used magic to make her childhood home a prison, and she shuddered wondering just what she might find in Cora's personal spellbook. Even Regina didn't have a spellbook of her own, as far as Emma was aware. In any event, she realized she had a chance to learn something about Regina's mother, who she was sure held a piece of the mystery that was her Queen.

The book was written mainly in Elfish, and though Emma's skills in that area were rusty, she was able to decipher some of what was written in the pages, and it wasn't hard to tell there was a fair bit of dark magic within this book. Emma smiled to herself, revelling in how much more enticing this book was than any of the others Regina had forced her to read.

She was poring over pages upon pages of instructions for ripping out and enchanting a person's heart, and using it to control them, when the book was snatched from her hands.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Emma gasped and looked up. She's been far too rapt in her reading to hear Regina enter the room, but the fiery look in those dark eyes wasn't lost on her.

"I was… reading about magic. Like you asked," Emma replied, her eyes pleading with Regina in hopes that the woman would calm down.

"I did not tell you to read this! I would have thought that the glamour spell would have been enough for you to realize it was off limits."

"But… I used magic… I learned a spell on my own to remove the glamour," Emma pointed out, hoping that Regina might, in the very least, be proud of that small achievement.

"This is not the kind of magic I want you to learn," Regina replied, and Emma noted that her voice seemed to soften slightly.

Emma watched as Regina vanished the book off someplace, before sitting down next to her on the chaise.

"What did you read about in that book?"

Emma shrugged. "I didn't understand that much," she admitted. "But I was reading about hearts. Can you really use them to control another person?"

"Yes. But that is very dark magic, Emma. You're not… you're not ready for that yet. It's too much power for you to hold right now."

"I'm not a child."

"You have yet to prove that to me," Regina said with a sigh. "Your parents have coddled you so much I fear it can't be undone."

"That's not true!"

Regina raised an eyebrow, and Emma quickly realized she was acting like a child right now. Maybe she was coddled, but didn't mean she was a child. And she could only think of one way to prove it.

Without a second thought, Emma snaked her arms around Regina's shoulders, pulling her Queen closer so she could meet her lips with her own. She felt one of Regina's arms wrap around her back, pulling her even closer, as her other hand found it's way to the back of Emma's head, lacing her fingers through soft blonde hair as she deepened the kiss.

Emma still wasn't overly confident in her kissing abilities, so she was more than happy to let Regina take the lead, once again.

But in an instant, it was over. Regina pulled back, closing her eyes for a moment, before resting her forehead against Emma's. "Perhaps you're not a child, after all."

"Regina," Emma whispered, attempting to move for her lips again, but Regina only backed away again.

"Not now, my Princess. I've send for your parents to come and fetch you. They'll be here soon."

"What?" Emma asked, panic quickly rising in her belly. "Why?"

"Because, I said I would send you home if it wasn't safe, and apparently it's not safe here anymore."

"No! It's not your fault! I didn't listen. I'll stay where it's safe, I promise! Please don't send me home."

"Begging doesn't become you, Emma. You're a princess, not a peasant."

"Regina!"

"That's enough. You may return when it's safe."

"When will that be?"

Regina simply sighed and gave a small shrug, and Emma knew the Queen didn't have the faintest clue.

* * *

Months went by, and still Regina knew it wasn't safe for Emma to return. Saying goodbye to her Princess the same day she'd arrived had been agony, but somehow King Markus's knights had found a weakness in her magical barrier, and Emma had nearly been killed. The attacks on her palace waned when Emma wasn't there, but this time Regina would not be so foolish to assume that the King had given up.

He expected Emma to become his son's wife, after all.

To her surprise, Snow seemed more than willing to uphold her end of the deal, refusing the King on Emma's behalf over and over. Though Regina knew she could easily wipe out all of the Silver Kingdom in an afternoon with her magic, she also knew she was an outcast in this land, and greatly despised by the other kingdoms, and such a blatant attack would provoke an all out war. Too many Kingdoms, including the White Kingdom, had magical allies on their side, and Regina's guard was nothing like it had been in the past.

As the months passed, Regina spent a great deal of time regarding Emma through her mirror again, and after a while, it began to feel like she'd never made contact with the girl at all. It was surreal, and it took all the strength Regina had not to reach through the mirror and touch her, knowing that if she did, she'd never let go.

In late August, however, everything changed.

In late August, Regina received word that the young Prince Michael had become betrothed to another young princess from another Kingdom all together, and Regina realized that meant his claim on Emma was effectively revoked.

Soon, she would have her princess back.

"Emma," Regina whispered through the mirror in Emma's room, late that night. She'd not made contact with Emma once since she'd sent her home.

Emma stirred slightly, and rolled over in her bed, squinting at the mirror before her eyes grew wide in disbelief.

"Regina!" Emma cried, as she leapt from her bed and scurried across the room to the mirror.

"Hush, Little One. Let's not wake your parents, hmm?"

Emma nodded emphatically. "I tried to see you in the mirror," Emma admitted. "But I couldn't make it work."

"That's alright, Emma. I'm here."

"Prince Michael is engaged to be married in September!"

"I know."

"So I can come back, right? Mother says the war should be over now."

Regina nodded. "Once the Prince is married, you may return. For your birthday."

"My birthday?" Emma asked, confused. "But my parents are planning a ball in my honour."

"I shall throw a ball. I believe it was you who thought that I should in the first place," Regina reminded her.

Emma's face lit up in a grin. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I'll send word to your parents once the Prince is married. Then you will return to me."

Emma smiled as she said goodnight to Regina. In the months she'd been home, she'd grown more and more certain that she might never see her Queen again, and now she knew she would. For her sixteenth birthday. There was no way Regina could still think she was a coddled little girl then, she was sure.

And without the King's threat of war looming over their heads, she was sure they could finally be free.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: AU/WishLand Princess Emma has put me in the mood for this story again :)**

 **And I wanted to point out, a couple people commented about me writing Princess Emma as acting younger than her chronological age… well, since we've now seen what canon Princess Emma is like, I gotta say, I think I was pretty on the ball with that assumption!**

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen**

* * *

Not that she was particularly devastated about it, but Emma was surprised to find that no one in her Kingdom had been invited to attend the wedding of Prince Michael and his new princess bride. Obviously, she hadn't expected to be invited personally, but none of the nobility in her Kingdom was in attendance, and she found that strange.

She often wondered about his new bride. She didn't know her name or even what Kingdom she'd come from, and she merely hoped that the girl was strong enough to hold her own against the prince, though she doubted that would be the case. She knew Regina was right: this world was not kind to women, and this princess would likely not be the exception to that rule. Her own mother had been fortunate enough to be able to choose a husband for herself, but Emma knew that wasn't a common fate for most princesses.

But Emma's thoughts drifted away from the prince and the nameless, faceless princess when September came and went, and it became time to start preparations for her sixteenth birthday. It was still weeks away, but her mother was already making plans and sending out notice to the surrounding Kingdoms.

Emma had to wonder how long Regina would wait to give notice that she would be holding Emma's birthday party herself. Emma debated telling her parents, but opted not to on the chance that Regina and thought better of it. She hadn't made contact with her since that night in late summer, and she had no real way of knowing exactly what her Queen's plan was.

So she kept her mouth shut.

As the week of her birthday arrived, Emma couldn't help but feel utterly disappointed that she'd never heard from Regina at all. Had she been lying about throwing her a ball the entire time? Had she simply changed her mind? Emma couldn't be sure, but it was certainly putting a damper on the occasion.

By the time Emma's actual birthday arrived, she was positively miserable. Her mother had given her a dress to wear in the morning, and Emma sat on her bed in her undergarments staring it at. It was pink, with crinoline, lace, and ornate crystal jewel embellishments. Her mother insisted she'd had it made specifically for Emma.

Emma thought it was hideous.

Still, she knew she would have no choice but to wear it, and while she still held onto the tiny sliver of hope that Regina would still somehow come through at the last minute, she put the dress on anyway.

The dress was a little scratchy and fair too big, and Emma knew all eyes were going to be on her at the ball tonight. They would have been anyway, since it was being held in her honour, but she'd been hoping that she could just fade into the crowd rather than mingling with the nobility of the Kingdom. Truth be told, she'd much rather spend her birthday playing in the courtyard with Seth like they did when she was a child, than in a room full of boring adults and their meaningless small talk.

"Emma, sit up," Snow whispered as they sat at the head table during dinner, facing the tables upon tables that seated the throngs of guests. Emma didn't recognize the vast majority of the people before her, and she didn't particularly care that she was all but sulking in front of them.

Still, she sat up straight and looked down at her food. It was all things she normally enjoyed, but she found the utter disappointment of the evening was causing her to lose her appetite.

"And try to smile, sweetheart," Snow continued from beside her, causing Emma to look at her mother in confusion.

"How am I supposed to smile and eat at the same time?"

Snow raised an eyebrow. She wasn't used to her daughter talking back in this manner. "How do you expect to find a suitor if you won't behave like a lady?"

Emma blanched. Suddenly, it all made sense. _This_ was why there were so many unfamiliar faces at her party: her parents must have invited eligible princes from other Kingdoms.

She felt sick to her stomach. "I don't… I want a suitor, Mother!" she said, louder than she'd intended, but no one seemed to hear over the din in the ballroom.

"Emma!" Snow gasped, her eyes growing almost comically wide, though Emma was in no mood for laughing. "That is quite enough. You've known your entire life that one day you would marry a prince and eventually become Queen. This is not news, my darling. I know you didn't want to marry prince Michael, but your father and I are not going to chose your husband for you. There's no need for that now. You will meet the princes that have traveled her, from all over I might add, and you can choose for yourself."

"Choose someone I don't even know? But why, Mother? You didn't marry a prince and you're still Queen. Why can't I do the same? Choose _anyone_ I want?"

"You know my situation was different, Emma. Your father and I had to fight against all odds, and we don't want that for you. We've always wanted you to have an easy life."

Emma pouted, staring at the untouched plate of food before her. She knew an easy life was a boring life, and while there was a time she might have agreed to it, now that she'd had a taste of magic and freedom, she didn't want to settle for boring anymore. What could any prince give her that could even remotely compare to Regina?

As the evening wore on, Emma's mood did not improve as she met prince after prince. Some of them were nice enough, but she was utterly uninterested. Most were cocky and pompous and reminded her of Prince Michael, and internally Emma debated pulling her mother aside and finally informing her what Michael had tried to do when she visited his palace, though she truly wondered if it would even make a difference. As sheltered as her parents had kept her, she still knew a wife was as good as owned property to her husband and she wondered if her parents would really think that Michael was out of line at all.

She wished Regina were here. No, she wished she were at Regina's palace. Certainly, if her Queen had come through on her promise to host a ball for her, Emma would not be meeting eligible young men. She certainly wouldn't be wearing this hideous dress and being told to smile. Regina never would have stood for it.

Regina.

Emma wanted her, badly. She missed her now more than ever, and she decided it was time to take matters into her own hands. The first moment she saw that both her parents were preoccupied speaking with someone else and neither were paying attention to her, she slipped out of the ballroom and took off running down the hall to her own room.

"Regina!" Emma cried into her own reflection in the mirror of her vanity the moment she was back in her room with the door slammed shut. She knew she didn't have much time before someone would notice her absence and set off looking for her. She needed Regina to be listening _now_. "Regina! Where are you!"

Emma threw her fists into the mirror, screaming Regina's name and banging against the glass until it shattered. She gasped in surprise. Looking back at her hands, she found them miraculously uninjured, but she knew even if no one had heard the sound of the mirror smashing, her parents would surely see the evidence before long.

Emma felt a surge of panic rising in her. Everything was falling apart and she was lost. Regina hadn't come through for her, and now her parents wanted to marry her off anyway. She remembered what Regina had said about this world being unkind to women, and how she would never be given a choice in who she would marry.

It would appear that the Queen had been correct. Though her mother had said she could choose, it wasn't really a choice when she didn't want to marry a prince at all.

But Emma wasn't about to give in. Regina had come through on her promise to ensure she'd never marry Prince Michael, but she was sure that she wouldn't want her marrying any prince in all the realms. Didn't she want Emma for herself? Emma was sure she did at one point, and she must still. Something must have been preventing her from following through. She was sure there was no way that Regina had just forgotten about her.

An idea occurred to Emma then: if Regina couldn't get to her, it didn't mean she couldn't get to Regina. The mirror was out of the question, but Emma had escaped her Kingdom before, and she could do it again.

Emma cracked open her door and peeked into the hallway. No one was around, but she knew she didn't have long until someone found her. She quickly shimmied her way out of the pink monstrosity she was wearing, and changed into her riding pants and jacket. She didn't have a horse here, but she figured this outfit was better than any dress for running through the woods. She peeked into the hallway again, ensuring it was still empty.

It was go time.

She slipped silently into the hallway, closing her door behind her and taking off to the nearest exit into the palace grounds. From there, it was a mad dash to the far wall at the north end of the court yard.

It didn't take long for Emma to find the loose stone in the wall that she had used to escape her Kingdom nearly a year ago. She and Seth had found the weak spot as children and decided to keep it a secret, and she was grateful that she was still slim enough to fit through the hole. Her jacket tore slightly and she scraped one arm on the way through, but she didn't care. All that mattered was she was free again, and she wasted no time taking off running towards the Dark Palace.

The first time she'd run away, she'd quickly become lost in the woods and had eventually come across Regina's huntsman, but this time she knew where she was going. She'd made this trip a few times now, and though she stayed off the road and in the shadows, it was easy enough to follow the path even in the dark.

It was a long trek, and she was tired, but when she saw the outline of the Dark Palace in the distance, Emma found a new burst of energy and took off running. By the time she reached the perimeter of Regina's protection spell around the palace grounds, Emma's legs ached and she was breathless, but she didn't care. She'd made it.

Emma put her hand up tentatively, but pulled back immediately, not really wanting to risk touching the barrier. It had been so long since she'd been here, and she couldn't remember the exact edge. She picked up a rock and tossed it, expecting to see it bounce back when it hit Regina's magic, but instead, it sailed right by.

Emma frowned. That didn't make sense. This time, she stretched her hand out in front of her and slowly began advancing. She took several steps and didn't encounter the barrier. Her frown deepened.

Several more steps toward the palace doors had Emma panicking. She was almost at the palace and she hadn't been stopped yet. Suddenly the idea hit her that if Regina's magic was gone, then that must mean…

"No!" Emma gasped. There was no way something had happened to Regina and she didn't know… was there? Surely, if something had happened, her parents must know. Perhaps they did, Emma realized, and perhaps they chose not to tell her.

Of course they wouldn't tell her.

"No!" Emma cried out again, about to take off running the short distance left between her and the door, when someone grabbed her arm.

Emma spun around and came face to face with Regina's huntsman.

"Graham," Emma said, shuddering, her voice a whisper. She still didn't trust him, and he was large and domineering in the dark, but she wasn't about to back down now. "Where is she?"

"You shouldn't have come here," said Graham, not letting go of Emma's arm.

"Where. Is. Regina. I want to see her. Now."

Graham studied Emma's face for a moment, and then turned toward the door, all but pulling her inside.

"She's not going to be happy with you."

That was all Graham said, and Emma followed him silently as he lead her through the hallways to Regina's bedchambers. The door was open, and Graham didn't knock as he pulled Emma inside.

"Your Majesty."

Emma watched as Regina startled slightly at Graham's voice, and jumped a little before spinning around. It was all she could do not to run straight to her, but Regina stared at her like she wasn't quite sure she was real.

"Emma." Regina's voice was a strangled whisper, and her dark eyes immediately flicked to Graham. "Leave us, Huntsman."

Emma took a step forward as Graham shut the door behind him on his way out, her eyes never leaving Regina's face. Something was wrong. She could tell by the haunted look in Regina's eyes.

"Regina?" Emma attempted, feeling so young and foolish and way out of her element in this moment.

Regina shook her head. "You shouldn't have come here, Emma."

"Regina, what happened to you?" asked Emma, the panic rising in her voice. "There's no magic around the palace. I thought… I thought…"

Regina raised an eyebrow. "You thought I was dead?"

"I don't know! Something happened, didn't it? I tried to call for you in the mirror and you weren't there. Something's wrong. I can feel it."

"You tried to call for me?"

Emma nodded. "Yes! It's my birthday today. Did you remember? My mother threw a party and she made me meet all these princes from other Kingdoms and… she wants me to marry one of them! You can't let you… you… you don't want to let her, right?"

"No, of course I don't," Regina said softly, finally stepping toward Emma and reaching out to cup her cheek lightly in her hand. "But… you're right. Something happened."

"What is it?"

Regina closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head. "I suppose you would have found out anyway. The wedding was a sham."

"The wedding?"

"Prince Michael. He didn't marry another princess. There was no wedding."

"What?"

"It was a ploy, Emma. This war is not over."

Emma reach up to grab onto Regina's hand on her cheek, confusion washing over her face. "But… then why did you remove the protection spell on your palace?"

"I didn't. It was taken from me."

"Taken?"

"My magic, Emma. It's gone. The King traded in his favour with Rumple."

"No! That's not possible. You said he'd gone mad! You said-"

"I know what I said, Emma. And I was wrong. And you need to go home. I will have some of my knights escort you."

"No! I'm not leaving!"

"It's not safe here, Emma. You need to go. Look at you," Regina said, raising her other hand to the tear on Emma's jacket. The blood on her skin was dry now, but the wound beneath it was obvious. "I can't even heal you."

"I don't care! I don't care about a cut or a ripped jacket. I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, Little Swan, and I'm sorry. This is all my fault… I'm not… I'm not a good person, Emma. I don't get to have good things, good people like you, in my life."

"Don't say that! I'm right here," Emma insisted, pushing herself closer to the Queen, attempting to reach her lips to kiss her, but Regina turned her head away.

"Don't," she said, dejected.

"Why? Isn't this what you wanted? Didn't you want me to be your princess?"

"Emma. I just told you. It's not safe."

"So we'll go someplace else, then! We'll go someplace far away from all of this. You don't need magic."

"Emma, it's not that simple."

"It is! There's nothing for you here, and I don't want this life my parents want for me. You know what that's like, I know you do!"

"You think your parents wouldn't move heaven and earth to find you? It won't work."

Emma frowned as she shook herself free from Regina's hands. "No, you don't want it to work, do you? You sent me away months ago. I should have known. You just… you just wanted to use me to hurt my mother, didn't you?"

"You know me better than that," Regina replied, trying to keep her voice even.

"No, I'm not so sure that I do. My mother says you can't be trusted. Were you lying to me this whole time."

"I've never lied to you, Emma."

Emma scowled, quite sure that wasn't true. Still, she didn't want to seem like a petulant child before the Queen, and instead she turned, and found herself facing Regina's ornate vanity instead. She tilted her head to the side as something caught her attention: a small ornate box emitting a strange red luminescence.

"What's that?" Emma asked, her curiosity replacing her disappointment and annoyance.

"What?" Regina asked, shaking her head in exasperation.

"This," Emma said, stepping over to Regina's vanity and opening the box before Regina had a moment to register what she was doing.

"Emma, no!"

Emma frowned as she opened the box and found the source of the glow. "Is this… is this… a heart?" Emma asked, tentatively reaching in and picking up the object. "You have someone's heart?"

"Emma… please, just put it back."

"Whose is this?"

"No one's."

"Well, it must be someone's! Do you use this to control a person? Like I read in your mother's spellbook?"

Emma stared at Regina with wide eyes, both anticipating and dreading the response she was sure was coming.

"Please, just put it back. It's dangerous magic, Emma. You need to be careful."

"No! You need to start actually telling the truth!"

"Excuse me?"

Emma bit her lip, trying to decide what to do. How far could she push the Queen before she regretted it? As it was, she'd already been all but exiled back to her own Kingdom for nearly a year, and she was reasonably sure that Regina wouldn't cause her any physical harm at this point. "Tell me whose heart it is," Emma said, calmly, staring Regina in the eye as she held the heart in a shaky hand.

"Put it back, Emma, or I will make you put it back. I don't answer to you."

Emma turned, but instead of replacing the heart to its box, she brought it to her lips. "Come get your heart back."

"It doesn't work that way, Emma," Regina insisted, but the way her voice raised an octave made Emma wonder if perhaps that was exactly how it worked. In any event, Regina grabbed her by the arm and snatched the heart from her hand, putting it back in its box roughly, and slamming the lid closed. "It's time for you to go home."

Emma shook her head. "We're not done."

"Yes, we are. It's not safe, Emma."

"Regina, please!"

"Emma, I'm sorry. I'm… I'm just sorry."

Emma knew there was no winning here tonight. She was quiet as Regina called her Huntsman back in, and asked him to gather some knights to escort Emma back to her own palace.

In the carriage ride back home, her mind was torn between wondering how her parents were going to react, to thinking that maybe she should just run away again. But what was the point? Regina was right, her parents wouldn't rest until they found her again.

Her head was still spinning with new information when they reached her palace. Of course, her parents came running right out upon the arrival of the carriage, and her parents guard held up swords to Regina's, waiting for a fight that never came. Emma offered little more than a half-hearted explanation to her parents as she made her way down the hall back to her room.

Never in her life had she felt so trapped. She'd tasted freedom, but Regina had sent her away. Regina… Regina who had a heart on her vanity and swore she'd never lied to her, but Emma wasn't so sure. And it didn't matter, because now Regina was powerless and Emma would be forced to marry and she just couldn't see an escape.

She wished she'd learned more magic. She wished her parents would _listen_ to her, for once. She wished… she wished… well, what good would it do, anyway?

Emma let out a long sigh as she lay down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, her last thoughts of the heart she'd held in her hands.

* * *

Emma groaned as she felt someone gently shaking her shoulders. "Wha-at?" she whined, as she turned over half asleep, squinting at the light of a lantern, as well as an odd reddish glow in the dark. She didn't really remember even falling asleep, but her grogginess was quickly washed away by her intrigue. "Seth? What do you have?"

Seth held up glowing object in his hand. "You told me to come get my heart back."

Emma's heart skipped a beat as she shot up in bed, her eyes widening at the solemn look on Seth's face. " _What?_ "

"I met the Queen many years ago," Seth explained. Holding his heart in his own hands, he was no longer under the Queen's control, and finally able to speak freely. "In the night, when I was wandering and lost. She said I would be her finest Knight. And then she took my heart."

"Seth… no…" Emma whispered in disbelief. He had to be lying. But, Emma knew he wasn't. She wanted him to be, but he couldn't be. His heart in his hand was proof.

"She sent me here to spy on you. She told me to tell you she was dead. She wanted you to run away so she could steal you."

Emma swallowed hard, feeling sick to her stomach. She didn't want to believe, but it all made so much sense. No one could understand why this little boy had just shown up all those years ago. What kind of orphan sought refuge in a barricaded palace? Her parents had insisted that he'd been sent there by fate, but the staff at the palace were always talking, and Emma knew that they were the only ones who really believed that.

"Emma," Seth said, holding his heart out to her. "I don't know what to do with it."

"Neither do I!" Emma cried, before thinking back to her lesson with the unicorn. She'd replaced the unicorn's heart, and she guessed that replacing Seth's couldn't be all that different. "Let me try," she said, softer this time, holding her hand out.

Her hand shook as Seth placed his heart in it, and she bit her lip and nodded, working up the courage to go for it. Finally, she drew in a deep breath and plunged Seth's heart back into his chest.

Time stood still for a moment as a look of shock overtook her little brother, and for a moment she feared she'd done it wrong. But, moments later, a smile crept across Seth's face.

"It worked," he whisper. "I… I can feel…"

A new wave of nausea overtook Emma as she realized that for the last five years, Seth hadn't been able to feel any emotion. Her heart broke for the boy who'd had to endure so much already in his short life, and she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. "It's alright. It's going to be okay now. I can protect you."

"From what?" Seth asked.

"From anything. From the Queen."

"The Queen? But I thought you liked her?"

Emma leaned back and shook her head. "I never want to see her again."

* * *

 **To be continued….**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

* * *

If Emma's parents noticed a change in Seth's demeanor, they didn't let on, but for her part, Emma couldn't help but notice how different her brother was with his heart back. He smiled and laughed and acted like any other child in the kingdom, and he no longer insisted on playing made up 'escape the palace' games in the courtyard.

Well, Emma knew now that they weren't made up.

But Emma supposed she shouldn't be surprised that her parents didn't notice the change in Seth, because they also hadn't noticed how sullen and withdrawn she'd become. When she'd been younger, she'd despised how distracted her parents could become with overseeing their kingdom, but now she was grateful for the fact, because they weren't asking her what was wrong.

She wasn't sure how she'd even answer that question if they did.

On one hand, she was still livid with Regina, even weeks after Seth brought his heart back, because even if she'd never even met Seth before his encounter with the Queen, he was still her little brother and she loved him dearly. On the other hand, she missed Regina dearly and some days she wanted nothing more than to be back in the dark palace, practicing magic or even just spending time with her. It was hard to reconcile the two conflicting emotions, as much as she tried.

Once the truth of Prince Michael's sham wedding spread over the land, and Emma watched her parents become more and more invested in the impending war that they still wouldn't talk to her about, Emma began to worry about Regina's safety.

It was a brisk fall afternoon while her father was briefing their army, that Emma decided to approach her mother with her worries.

"Mama," Emma said tentatively, once she found her mother scouring over parchments in the war room. She spent a lot of time in their these days, and for once, at least, she was alone.

"Emma, you shouldn't be in here. I don't want to worry you with any of this," Snow insisted, quickly gathering up the papers she was looking at.

"But I already am worried."

"Oh, honey," Snow said, looking up to meet Emma's troubled eyes. "You know we're not going to make you marry Prince Michael after all of this, don't you?"

Emma shook her head. "I'm not worried about that."

"What are you worried about, then?"

"Regina."

"Regina?" Snow repeated. "Why?"

"Is it true that her palace is under siege?"

"Wherever did you hear that?"

Emma shrugged. "People talk."

"Well, you mustn't worry yourself about such things, my darling. You're just a child."

"No, I'm not! You can't force me to meet suitors and then call me a child. If you expect me to be married, then you can include me in what's going on. How do you think I will ever be able to become a Queen or run a Kingdom if you shield me from everything?"

"Emma…"

"No! You've kept me locked away behind these walls my entire life. You keep everything a secret and I want to know the truth. Is there a war going on?"

Snow sighed, and then nodded. "Yes," she conceded, finally. "And Regina's palace is under siege, yes."

Emma's mouth gaped for a moment. She'd heard the staff around the palace talking, but a part of her had refused to believe it was true. How could this be happening? "Then we have to help her."

"Help her? Emma, she's our enemy."

"She's not _my_ enemy. She's done terrible things, but she's not a terrible person, Mama. She's really not. I've seen… I've seen a side of her that you never have."

"Even if that's true, Emma, her army and her magic are strong, she doesn't need our protection. She's choosing not to fight. Perhaps she's grown weary of it all."

"She's hasn't! Mama, she can't fight back. She doesn't have her magic!"

"What are you talking about?"

"King Markus made a deal with Rumplestiltskin once, and he cashed in his favour to take away Regina's magic. She can't defend herself."

"How do you know all of this?"

Emma bit her lip. "Regina told me. The night of my birthday, when I went to her palace."

"You told us you never saw her that night. You said her knights stopped you before you entered the palace and brought you back."

"I know I did. And I'm sorry. But now you know she needs our help."

Snow paused for a moment, seemingly processing this new information in her mind before speaking again. "Well… Emma, you know she lies. This could all be a setup. You know she wants nothing more than to see the demise of this Kingdom, and she could be setting a trap for us herself."

"She's not! Her magic is gone."

"Emma-" Snow was cut off as Charming burst through the door, followed by several members of the White Kingdom guard.

"Daddy, wait," Emma insisted, as her father quickly ushered her out of the room, but it was no use. Her father was in no frame of mind to listen to her, especially about Regina, and her mother was already distracted, listening to whatever the head of the guard was telling her now.

The door thudded shut behind her, and Emma stood alone in the long empty corridor. Seeking her parents' assistance in rescuing Regina was clearly off the table, and Emma knew she was going to have to come up with another plan.

* * *

That night, in her bed chambers, Emma stared at her own reflection in the mirror, her hand on the swan pendant around her neck, as she debated what she could do to help Regina. Leaving the palace would be a challenge now, since after her last escape, her parents had guards posted outside her room at night.

She stared at herself intently, willing herself to come up with something, until she noticed something odd about the chain of her necklace. The chain had shifted and the clasp was sitting about two inches from the pendant now, which was not so strange in itself, except for that this necklace had never had a clasp.

Emma had checked this chain hundreds of times, but Regina had made sure that it could not be removed from her neck. Emma guessed that with Regina's magic gone, the spell had been broken. If the spell was broken…

Emma got up at once, the threw the doors to her bedchamber open. As expected, the two guards stationed outside immediately told her to go back to bed, as she was forbidden to leave her room at night.

Emma stared at them both for a moment, before raising her hands. She hadn't used magic in quite some time, but she could feel it deep inside her, and she forced it to the surface. She imagined both the guards sleeping, and as they began to approach her, she let her magic shoot out of her palms.

She'd never used quite that much force before, and as both guards fell back, she wondered if it was too much, but sure enough, they were both still breathing. Emma didn't have time to waste, and she took off through the halls.

She passed three more guards on her way, and she used her newfound magical strength to cast the same spell on each of them without even slowing down. For a fraction of a second, she wondered if Regina would be proud of her for harnessing this on her own, or angry that she was using magic she didn't understand so carelessly. But it didn't matter what Regina thought. For all Emma knew, she could be dead already, and all she knew was she had to get there fast if she stood any chance in helping her.

Emma ran to the stables, wishing she'd learned how to poof. Regina made it look so easy, but Emma had no idea where to even begin with that, and she didn't have time to waste in attempting it only to fail. She threw the stable doors open and stared at the horses. She'd never ridden any of these horses, and she wasn't sure any of them had been ridden in quite some time. Her mother never allowed her in the stabled as a child, and there hadn't been much of a need for riding behind the giant palace walls.

Still, it was dark and Regina's palace was far, and Emma knew it would take too long to go by foot. She picked a horse at random and didn't even bother with a saddle, hoping that her one and only riding lesson would be enough to ride this horse bareback to Regina.

The horse seemed calm enough as Emma led him to stand by a stepping stool so she could climb on. She held his mane and squeezed her legs tightly around his torso to hold on as she led him toward the large gate at the edge of the courtyard, glancing back once to make sure she wasn't being followed.

By the time day broke, they would know she was missing and likely figure out where she was, but at least she'd have a head start.

When they reached the gates, Emma focused her magic and thoughts on them swinging open, and before long, they did. Emma nearly giggled at how easy it was, but forced herself to focus on the task at hand. She gripped the horse's mane tightly, and said firmly, "Take me to Regina."

Without a moment's hesitation, the horse took off. Emma held on for dear life as she forced her thoughts to remain on Regina and the Dark Palace, since she knew the horse was acting under the will of her magic. The speed was terrifying, but Emma refused to let herself think about what might happen if she were thrown from the horse and laying injured in the woods someplace, with no one knowing where she was.

Even at this speed, the ride felt way too long, and with every passing minute, Emma worried more about Regina. What if they'd taken her prisoner already, what would she do then? What if they really had killed her? Without her magic, it was a possibility, and Emma didn't know how long Regina's knights would be able to ward off the attack. What if they didn't follow her orders at all, when she couldn't force them too?

All thoughts of anger and disappointment at Regina's betrayal were gone now, and on the horizon, Emma could see the light of the torches held up by King Markus's army.

"Whoa!" she cried out, and the horse slowed immediately. In the distance, she could still see Regina's army, and the two sides appeared to be in some sort of stand off.

Her parents never let her in the war room, so Emma wasn't fully versed in how these things generally went, but from what she could tell as she and the horse approached at a much slower speed, the two armies seemed evenly matched in terms of size.

Emma reasoned that if King Markus's army was still here, they hadn't managed to capture Regina yet, so there was still time. All she had to do was find a way into the palace. She needed to get in, find Regina, and find out what she should do. Regina would know how to use her magic to win this fight, all Emma had to do was get in…

"Halt! Who goes there!"

Emma's breath hitched in her throat as she heard the gruff voice. Moments later, a large man in full armour holding a torch approached on horseback. He wasn't one of Regina's dark knights, which could only mean one thing.

"I said identify yourself!"

Emma blinked as panic set in. She couldn't reveal herself without risk of being captured herself. She quickly scanned the path before her. With the light of the sun just starting to peak over the mountains in the distance she could relatively see a path toward the castle. She had to go for it.

"Go!" she screamed, and the horse took off again. In her haste, she hadn't managed to get a good grip on the horse's mane before he reached full speed again, and the last thing she remembered before hitting the ground was a glimpse of what looked like her Kingdom's knights in the distance.

* * *

 **To be continued...**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

* * *

Regina knew it was only just a matter of time.

Her army might have been strong enough to ward off the Silver Kingdom's attack, but when Snow White's army had arrived at dusk, she knew it was over.

Most of her staff had surrendered the moment the war broke out, and she couldn't really say she blamed them. What did she need servants for now anyway? Soon enough she'd be executed, and she couldn't begrudge these people betraying her to stay alive.

Truthfully, she was amazed her army was defending her at all. She couldn't control them anymore, without her magic, and she was impressed by their loyalty. It was unfortunate that so many of them would die, too.

But she'd made peace with it, the best she could. She sat alone in her library, surrounded by her mother's books and clutching Daniel's ring close to her chest, and she almost had to laugh at how pathetic her life had been to this point.

Looking back, she wondered if she'd do it all differently, given the chance? She couldn't have saved Daniel, that much was certain, but what if she'd embraced Snow White instead of hating her? What if she'd let the King live… he was an old man, he'd have died eventually anyway. Snow would have inherited the Kingdom, and maybe Regina would have been free.

Then again, there'd be no Emma if that were the case. Snow wouldn't have met her Prince Charming if it hadn't have been for Regina, so maybe she wouldn't change a thing, if it meant she still got to spend a short time with her Princess.

Squeezing the ring a little tighter, Regina realized that was her one and only regret. She wished she could have seen Emma just one more time. She wished she could apologize, and make her understand.

But it was too late for that now.

It was barely dawn when Regina heard it: the crash of the front doors of the palace being burst open. She hadn't slept all night and suddenly she was too tired to even care who was responsible for the voices and commotion in the hallways, drawing nearer. It didn't really matter which army it was - perhaps it was both? - the outcome would surely be the same.

Still, she looked up when the doors to the library finally swung open, her eyes making contact with Snow's as the woman rushed in, frantic, and weilding a sword.

Regina guessed it was fitting that it would be her.

Snow was followed closely behind by David, and as he entered the room, Regina gasped. Unlike his wife, David wasn't weilding a sword. Instead, he held Emma in his arms, her body dirty and limp, her head hanging and her eyes closed. As far as Regina could tell, she looked badly injured.

"What the hell happened?" Regina cried, jumping to her feet and forgetting all about the armies and hundreds of people who wanted her head on a stake.

"She was thrown from her horse, her head hit a rock," David replied, as he placed Emma down gently on the chaise Regina had just vacated. The panic was evident in his voice. "She took off in the night on some foolish mission to save _you._ "

Regina ignored the venom in David's voice as she dropped to her knees beside the chaise and placed a hand on Emma's forehead. She wasn't breathing, and though the room was slowing filling with members of Snow's army, Regina knew they didn't burst in just now to capture her.

Snow wanted her to revive Emma.

"I didn't want her to," Regina said, her voice barely a whisper as Snow dropped to her knees beside her, grabbing on to her daughter's lifeless hand. "I tried to make her stay away from me."

"Heal her! Regina, please!" Snow pleaded, her eyes desperate.

"I can't!"

"What?" Snow's voice cracked, and for what she was sure was the first time, Regina felt more sorry for Snow's loss than her own.

"I'll try."

Regina's hands shook as she held them over Emma and tried in vain to summon her magic. Her whole body started to shake as she felt the tears falling from her eyes. In her mind, she saw Emma, as a toddler, sleeping soundly in her bed. Emma, older, sleeping in her own bed at her dark palace. Emma, unconscious, after being knocked down by a spooked horse. Regina had been able to heal her then, but now… her magic truly was gone.

"Regina!" Snow screamed again, but she sounded far, far away.

"I'm sorry, Snow," Regina whispered.

"No, no…" Snow repeated shaking her head as she stared down at her daughter's lifeless body.

Regina watched her, sobbing, lay her head down on Emma's chest, and realized, this had been her endgame from the start. This had been what she wanted to see. She'd wanted to kill Emma herself, just to hurt Snow like this.

And it wasn't satisfying.

It wasn't satisfying because she felt like her own heart was being ripped out, right along with Snow's. She'd only known Emma a short time, really, but she felt the same pain she'd felt when she watched her mother kill Daniel in the stables all those years ago.

"Wait," Regina whispered, as an idea struck her.

Snow lifted her head and looked up at Regina. "Can you do something?"

Regina swallowed nervously. "I'm not sure it will work…"

Still, Snow moved back to give Regina space, and Regina took a steadying breath. Even if this did work, she knew there was no way Snow and Charming would ever let her see Emma again after all of this. But it didn't matter. All that mattered was Emma's life.

* * *

The sun was streaming in brightly through her window when Emma awoke. She blinked, realizing it must be late in the day, and it took a moment for her to get her bearings.

Why was she still in bed?

The last thing she remembered was falling off of her horse, had that been a dream?

She sat up quickly, checking herself over. She seemed to be uninjured, but she got up and checked the mirror anyway. She touched her forehead where she was sure she'd hit the ground, but there wasn't even a mark.

Had she dreamed the whole thing?

Something was wrong.

Without even bothering to change out of her nightgown, Emma threw open the doors to her bedroom and took off into the hall, running from room to room until she found her mother.

"Emma!" Snow gasped, are you alright.

Emma shook her head quickly. "I, um, I don't know? What happened?"

Snow studied her face carefully. "What do you remember?"

"I thought… I thought I fell off a horse? Did I dream that?"

Snow hesitated for a moment, and then finally shook her head. "No, that wasn't a dream. We need to talk."

Emma followed nervously behind her mother as Snow lead the way back to her bedroom, and sat down on Emma's bed, waiting for her to join. Emma sat down quickly. "Mama, what happened? Please tell me the truth."

Snow sighed. "We debated on whether we should tell you or not, but given what happened this morning, your father and I decided it's best if we stop keeping things from you."

"Keeping what? What happened? Is Regina okay?"

Snow seemed to bristle at the mention of Regina's name, but continued anyway. "Regina is alive. She's been captured."

Emma's face went white. "By King Markus?"

Snow shook her head. "No. She's in the prisoner tower, here."

"We captured her?"

"It was in everyone's best interest, Emma. She was willing to let King Markus execute her, but…"

"But?"

"She saved your life, Emma."

Emma shook her head. "I don't understand."

"What we didn't tell you yesterday, Emma, was that our army was already en route to Regina's palace. In spite of everything, she shouldn't be killed at his command. Deep down, I truly did believe that she was trying to help you all along, and I'm sorry I couldn't accept that before. She proved herself today."

"By saving me? How?"

"The magic you used to put the guards to sleep last night, it didn't last long," Snow continued. "They alerted us that you'd fled, and we knew where you were headed. Your father and I left on horseback the moment we knew you were gone, and by the time we found you, you were laying on the grown, thrown from your horse."

Emma nodded. "I remember that."

"Emma you were," Snow paused, flinching, "you were badly injured by the time we got there. We didn't have time to summon the fairies, and Regina's guard let us pass with you, to take you to her."

"And she healed me? How? Her magic is gone?"

Snow shrugged. "She managed to summon enough, somehow."

Emma watched her mother's face carefully, and in an instant, she knew that was a lie. But whatever she was covering, it wasn't important right now. "And you captured her anyway?"

"For her own safety, Emma," Snow insisted. "I'm not sure that Regina can be redeemed, but I am sure that she doesn't deserve to die for saving you from marrying the Prince."

"I want to see her."

"Emma-" Snow shook her head- "That's not a good idea. Not now. You need to rest, and recover."

"I feel fine!"

"It's not optional," Snow said, firmly, though she leaned in to give Emma a kiss on her forehead. "I'm so sorry, Emma. For everything."

* * *

Emma climbed the stairs to the top of the tower with trepidation. She hadn't been expressly forbidden from _ever_ going to visit Regina in the prisoner's tower, but she was quite sure her parents would never approve, so she opted to go at night, when her parents and Seth were already fast asleep.

There was only one guard partway up the stairs, dozing off, to Emma's great relief. Since Regina didn't have her magic, she wasn't as great a threat as she might have been otherwise, and Emma was grateful for that since she wasn't quite sure how she was going to sweet talk her way past a fleet of guards who were actually paying attention.

Still, she tiptoed past the guard as quietly as she could. He might be sleeping on the job, but she knew he was a trained professional and probably not all that heavy of a sleeper. She breathed a sigh of relief when she made it

She wasn't quite sure what she was going to say. On one hand, she was still livid over Regina's betrayal and what she'd done to Seth. On the other, Regina had saved her life earlier that day. She was conflicted, to say the least, and she just needed to _see_ her.

Emma paused when she reached Regina's cell. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but she certainly wasn't prepared for seeing Regina curled up on a tiny mattress against the wall, dressed in a long tan dress that Emma new was meant for prisoners headed to execution. Her mother had made it seem that they didn't intend to execute Regina, so she hoped the choice in dress was just for a lack of any other option.

Regina's hair was loosely tied at the nape of her neck, and she had to make up on her face. Emma had never seen her look this small before, and despite her anger, it made her heart hurt.

She had always managed to hold the idea in her head that there were two Reginas: one that would slap her across the face for getting lost in the palace, and one that would cuddle her to sleep. One that acted like she was a total nuisance, and one that looked at her like she was the whole world. One that ripped Seth's heart out, and one that saved her life.

She'd wracked her brains trying to figure out how she switched from one to the other, but looking at her now, Emma realized there was only one Regina. One Regina who had been tormented by her own mother. One Regina who'd lost everything. One Regina who clung to magic and darkness because she was afraid of the light. Emma understood now.

"Regina," Emma whispered loudly, leaning her face up against the bars. She didn't want to wake the guard, but she also knew Regina was a light sleeper, and sure enough, she jolted awake at the first mention of her name.

Regina blinked, and shook her head, staring at Emma like she was looking at a ghost. The only light, aside from the sconces on the stairwell whose illumination barely reached the top of the tower, was that from the full moon outside, shining in through the one tiny window in Regina's cell. It cast an eerie white glow onto everything, and Emma shivered at the way it lit up Regina's eyes against the dark.

"Emma," Regina breathed, as she stood soundlessly from the mattress and make her way silently across the stone floor on bare feet. She looked so tiny, and Emma was sure she was her height now, perhaps even slightly taller. She'd never noticed since Regina always wore such high heeled boots. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you," Emma whispered back.

"You'll get yourself in trouble."

Emma shrugged. "The guard's asleep and I don't care. I had to see you."

Regina shook her head, sadly. "I didn't want you to see me like this. This isn't how I want you to remember me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your parents didn't tell you? Emma, I'm being executed in the morning."

Emma's face went white and she shook her head quickly in disbelief. "No! No, I won't let them! My mother said, she said-"

"Shh, not so loud."

Emma nodded, casting a quick glance toward the stairs to make sure the guard wasn't up and approaching them already. When she was sure he hadn't awoken, she turned back to Regina. "There has to be something I can do. I can talk to my parents. I can talk them out of this."

"Really? Emma, they don't put a lot of weight on your opinion, you know."

"But maybe-"

"Emma, I know you're mother is torn on this, but your father, he's sure. And after what happened today, he'll kill me just to keep me away from you."

Emma furrowed her brow in confusion. "After what happened? You saved my life. Oh! Magic! I can use magic…"

Regina shook her head. "It's too dangerous. You don't have enough control. What if you were hurt?"

"Just tell me what to do, Regina! You must have a plan! You always have a plan…"

Regina smirked. "I rarely have a plan, Little Swan, and even when I do I can't seem to follow…" Regina's voice trailed off as she got an idea. "Oh! There is something we could try. Oh, Emma, it could work! It will fix everything..."

"What? Just tell me what to do. I'll do anything, I swear."

Regina leaned closer to the bars, prompting Emma to do the same. "Alright, listen closely, Princess. Here's what you're going to do."

* * *

 **...To Be Continued.**

 **And also, thus ends Part One of this fic… but there's a lot more to come!**


End file.
